donnaalec11

i'm under donna lindsay now. profile picture in my wedding dress. Speak soon. Donna

@ lesley. I have sent you a PM i did send the same email to many so you have more pictures than you asked for. I booked the wedding direct with the hotel and a few weeks before we went we were sent out forms to fill in with all the wedding details and guests staying. Have you not had these yet?? I did ask our guests be nearby and we were all in block 17 apart from us we were in block 18 as we had an upgraded room but it was very close to them. those 2 blocks were actually in a good location for pretty much everything. the day after we arrive we went through the forms and i did alter a few things as i had changed my mind but it wasn't a problem. we had booked the italian for rehearsal dinner but the day we had chose was taken by a private wedding so we chose the brazilian and they did another for us all at the italian for a few days after the wedding to apologise for the double booking. so we had 2 rehearsal dinners both gorgeous. the food at the palapa if you're not having the lobster is a choice of steak or salmon which were just told to ask our guests and let her know 48 hours before the day. We did use the onsite photographer we were very pleased with the photographs they did a fantastic job, we also had an edited dvd. I emailed photo carribean direct and spoke to the main guy there is name is francisco and he has been most helpful. we had cecilio take our pictures and he was fantastic. we did choose a package before we went but we popped into the store they have on site to confirm the package although i'm sure if you change your mind after you see the photographs you could as we didn't have to pay until we collected the pictures. The birth certificate had me panicking too. I didn't translate mine i just took a photocopy of it and they never even looked at it. all they asked for was our passports and tourist cards but i'd take a copy just to be on the safe side. Good luck with everything. I bet you're really excited now. and i would be too it was everything i had dreamed of and more and i want to do it all over again. If any of you brides are on facebook i do have all my wedding pictures on there so it you any of you want to friend request me. Or facebook page photo carribean there are a few of my pictures plus loads of other weddings on there.

@mrs2012 i have tried to email you over some pictures but it my email doesn't like your email address .net?? i will keep trying or if you have an alternative email i will try that. donna

@ Mrs 2012 I wouldn't worry about your emails. I was the same last year it took weeks for a response at first but as time gets nearer the emails will become more frequent. you wouldn't believe how many hours they work and how many emails they get. they just like all of us do i guess prioritise there work. we didn't have the presidential suite as i left it too late to decide which package i wanted and as there are only 3 they were booked, however our platinum upgrade was just as nice although the presidential is a lot bigger and the jacuzzi better. I do have photos of the rooms and also the palapa where you can have your reception if you would like me to email them direct to you. I would try and book the presidential suite though as soon as you can. everything else comes later. They will email you a booking form where you will fill in all of your guests names and any special requests. they will also email you a form to fill in with all of your wedding details, package, music, location, reception meal, and rehearsal dinner etc. Apart from that there is nothing much else to do. I was panicking myself as i felt like i hadn't done anything and i was flying over there. But my mind was put at rest the following day when i met with the WC she went through everything and they are based on site so any bits you might forget you can normally catch them in there office around 10 in the morning or 3 afternoon. They did double book the italian, we had chose this for our rehearsal dinner and there was a wedding having a private meal there on that night so she offered to book the italian on a different night for us all plus the night we should have been there have rehearsal dinner in one of the other a la cartes. so we had 2 rehersal dinners. plus we went for the brazilian and it was gorgeous food. They will go out of there way to help you get whatever you want for your special day. As for the spa if you have hair and make up as part of your package the hairdresser will already be booked for you on that day. although i did put it in my guest form as a reminder. good luck with everything, Donna

Hi there Just got back from the grand sirenis on wednesday. Well what can i say. One word. Amazing. Hotel The Hotel is spotless. The rooms are really spacious. Unless you have the presidential suites which there are only 3 of all the rooms are the same size. the bath is huge and does take some time to fill but well worth it. The grounds are really clean and the pools are too. We were situated near the pool bar next to el rancho so we spent quite a lot of time there. the cocktails are fab. Miami vice a definate must. Food The buffet restaurant has lots to offer and they do have themed nights which are really nice too. There is always pizza and pasta cooked fresh in your choice of sauce if you don't find anything else. Also steak, chicken and fish cooked fresh as you wait. The kids loved it because they could just eat what they wanted. The a la carte's , el rancho(steak house) I wasn't bothered about this one, my soup was cold and the steak a bit tough although the buffet starter was nice, didn't enjoy the mexican either i found it a bit bland. the Italian, japanese and brazilian are a must they were really nice the brazilian being my favourite, i tried to get in the second week but left it too late to book. Wedding Absolutely amazing. I had most dealings with Cecilia although i did meet pamela and araceli. They are fantastic cannot do enough for you. I met with Pamela the day after we arrived and we went through everything with her. They really do know what they are doing. The flowers i wanted were not in season so i had to choose another flower for my bouquet which they helped with as i wanted the leaves wrapped back so they told me which would look the best and they didn't disappoint. flowers were stunning and the button holes were done the same way. We got married on the private beach in front of the palapa. It was rather a windy day the day we got married so we got a bit windswept down there but i'm sure if cecilia could have stopped the wind she would have. She couldn't do enough for us. we moved from the beach for photographs as i was worrying about my hair falling out because of the wind, we had some more photos done down in front of the sirenis on the beach there as the wind did calm a bit after the ceremony. From here we were took to the palapa which looked absoulutely stunning. We had the beach menu salad for starter followed by soup then steak or salmon followed by chocolate brownie then wedding cake. The food was gorgeous, The cake was lovely too. We did hire the dj and he did a great job. We had such a good night that we paid for an extra hour as we didn't want to leave. Spa My hair and make up was perfect. I got married at 5 and we had to be at the spa at 10. both myself and my sister (bridesmaid) had hair and make up done. there is just the one lady that does both and she was amazing. i was very impressed with what she did. We thought that 10am was early but it worked just right for us it was about half 10 when she started and we were finished for around 3ish she also fixed my nail for me too. she takes her time she is a perfectionist but thats what you want on your special day. we then got ready down at the spa and the photographer arrived at 4 to take pictures. so although it might sound like a long time, as we though that too, it wasn't really it, was better as we didn't feel rushed, although i did leave my hoop for under my dress in the room so i had to get someone to fetch it down to us, still not sure who did that for me but it was down at the spa within 5 minutes. We did have an upgraded room as we had the platinum package and it was stunning. four poster bed, 2 40" flat screen tv's and every games console you could wish for although we never used them the kids did sneak in there at times for an hour out of the sun. so wasn't a bad thing. we also had a shelf of top brand full bottles of every spirit you could wish for as well as the well stocked mini bar. We also had gourmet bites almost every day too. plus snacks such as pringles, chocolate bars and biscuits. It was beautiful. they went to town on the room on the wedding night too i'll not spoil your surprise but the room was stunning. They really made us feel special. Photographer My photos are amazing. you wouldn;t know it was windy looking at my pictures. I was worried about this showing on the pictures but they are fantastic. They took over 300 pictures and i wanted them all. the dvd we had done is beautiful too although you can hear the wind at the ceremony it was hard to hear what was being said when we were actually there so i knew it would be like that on the dvd. It was just unfortunate that i picked the windiest day out of the 2 weeks to be married on. although we did have a really bad rain one of the days we were there and there was a wedding too so mine didn't seem that bad i was gutted for the bride that day. I loved everything about the Grand sirenis, the people are so friendly. I would definatley return there and if i could i would get married all over again because i had such a fantasitc time and it goes by in a flash. so all you sirenis brides to be, enjoy. because i did. every minute of it. xxx Donna & Alec Lindsay

@lesley f I booked the presidential package but there is only 2 presidential suites and they are both booked. So i would recommend booking one now if you can with Araceli. I have got the mini suite instead which is lovely but not as nice as the presidential. With sometimes 3 weddings per day you would think they would have more than 2 suites. I fly out 2 weeks today with my wedding on the 1st June. so excited. Good luck with everything.

@melaina Did you book your wedding through the hotel or your travel agent? as i have been told that if it is booked through the hotel then the minister fees are included and you only have to pay the 120usd for legalization. If booked through your agent both minister an legalization has to be paid for making it a lot more expensive. Does anyone know if this is correct? I did ask Aracely's assistant but found it quite difficult to understand her. 19 days to go till we fly out there.

hi there @kbodchil i have booked the platinum package through the GS and the palapa is included with menu for 10 people and extra for additonal guests. I have to pay extra if i want lobster as well. I was originally having the gold package but the palapa is not included so i upgraded.

@christieg. The palapa looks beautiful and if you really don't mind sharing your pictures my email address is [email protected] thank you. I have also been in touch with the resort photographer and seen some of his work on facebook. I have also been emailing people that have used the photographer and they all had good things to say. I was slightly worried when i heard the bad comments but feel a bit better about speaking to them and looking on facebook. I did email Claudia Rodrigues and she wasn't available to do my wedding but did have other photographers that i could have used but i'm not sure if my budget can stretch to the costs plus all the extra costs involved in bringing them on site. I have looked at work that they have both done and to be honest i thought it all looked beautiful. Has anyone else used the resort photographer recently??? Thanks Donna

@christieg thank you for the price list, i have emailed claudia and she got back to me today. she is not available on the 1st June but she has others there that could do it. Thanks for the info on the palapa. Sounds like a great idea. Donna

@christieg Congratulations to you both, thankyou so much for sharing all the info with us. I am rather concerned now about the photographer as we were having the resort photographer to take our pictures and that is 2 of you that have now said the pictures were awful. Does anyone have a price list for Claudia that you could share with me. I am really looking forward to going now, what did you have for the palapa to stop some of the wind? that sounds like a really good idea and if you could let me know more about this i would appreciate it. thanks. I do hope the front desk book there ideas up before i get there. Thanks again.

@ Melaina Congratulations and so glad you had a great time. I am slightly concerned by your comments about the photographer though I might look into getting a different one should anyone have any suggestions. Could you also tell me which location is the best for getting married and is there any of them close to the palapa as i am having my reception there. Can't wait to see your pictures.

@mexicobird81 I haven't sent in my forms as yet but will have to get on with it very soon. The email for the photographer is [email protected] The guys name is Francisco, he seems really nice. I''m just going through my list for everything that there is still to do. It's quite scary because i have quite a lot to do, thought i was organised but i always think of something else and we fly out there12 weeks tomorrow. Good luck with everything. Donna

@mexicobird81 I have had emails from both Araceli and Blanca, the previous coordinator, saying that birth certificates do not have to be translated unless you have been married before. I was also worrying about that but i am just going to print off and take my emails with me. I think it is just your passport and birth certificate have to read the same and i suppose it doesn't matter what language you speak or understand it is quite clear that it says the same whether they understand it or not. There are also 25 of us for the wedding. Do you have the photographers email address and website? It was around $1200 for 80 digital prints on disc and a 40 minute DVD. If you email them they are really quick at getting back to you. I am also having the platinum package with the 10 photographs included but i know now that i will want more so that is why i am sorting it out now as i need to budget for things like this as to me having the photgraphs is a big part of your day as they are always there to look back on. Donna

@mexicobird81 congratulations on your wedding. I'm getting married on the 1st of June. I have booked the platinum package and i have also got the palapa. I will forward you the picture i have of the palapa. It looks amazing. I was going to have my wedding on the 31st May as this was the 1st date we could get married with having to be there so many days before. However it is my mum and dads wedding anniversary on the 1st of June and thought it would be nice to share this day. Donna

@lreavley i have emailed you a picture of the palapa, you'll love it. @gsbride2011 do you think that it will be bad with the mosquitos as i have booked the palapa for the 1st of June but could change my mind if it really is going to be that bad. Has anyone else been out there at the end of may? Does anyone know why you still have the rehearsal dinner in one of the restaurants if you're having the palapa? Thank you donna.

Hi Shawna I'm so glad i found this forum too as reading trip advisor didn't fill me with confidence. I'm getting married out there on the 1st June. I am also having their photographer, i have been emailing them direct and organised the package that i want. they were really helpful, they told me that i had to pay a $200 deposit so i'm going to get back in touch soon and secure and pay for my booking just to be on the safe side. I only have one photograph of the palapa that Araceli sent me. I will forward it to you. good luck, i'm getting excited now so i'm sure you are too yours is sooner than mine. Have you sent all your forms in yet requesting what you want? I've not done mine yet as i'm still thinking about music, flowers etc. although i am definately having the palapa. Its stunning, well worth the bit extra. Donna

@ melaina Hi there, Good luck with everything. The translating of birth certificate only as to be done if you have been married before. I have confirmation from Araceli, as this is something that i came across as everyone i spoke to here in england that have been married in mexico got theirs translated. I do think that the travel agents just tell everyone that they must do this so the are covered but i book my wedding direct with Grand sirenis and you definately don't need to. It's just another expense. the wedding certificate is in spanish and that needs to be translated when you get back again more money but i guess that can be done whenever. Hope this helps Donna

Good luck Corbeil and Melaina on your big day. Hope you have a wonderful time. I'm still debating on the wedding packages but i'm definately having the palapa. It looks wonderful. I'm not sure how the rehearsal dinner works though if you have the palapa so if anyone knows??? Donna

@kbodchill I'm sure i'll be fine then there are 7 kids altogether (3 of them mine) ranging from 14 to 1. so i'm sure they'll fill it when they are all running round. Donna

thank you so much for all your info. It is really nice to chat with everyone and i can tell you it has made me feel a lot better and less stressed about the wedding. @kbodchill thank you so much for emailing the pictures. I think i'm going to go for the palapa. there are 25 of us so hope we don't look too lost in there as it looks quite big. I also noticed that you mentioned USD are still being used? Thankyou all again. Donna

@Corbeil Thank you for your reply, i'm really liking the sound of the palapa and i've not even seen any pictures as yet. I know there is an charge of 11050 pesos to rent for 4 hours but because i have the gold package already do i still have to pay extra for the palapa/beach menu? Thank you, Donna

Thank you for your reply, i did think it was private but wanted to make sure. My email address is [email protected] I have looked through the menus they emailed me and notice one of the pictures of a dining area that looked to be outside but under shelter. Is this the palapa or just an outside area to eat? I did ask araceli but was told that the lobster beach dinner was 11050 pesos, this really didn't answer my question and i know how busy she is at the moment. Hope you can help? Thanks Donna

Hi thanks for all the information it has been a couple of weeks since i emailed the co-ordinator and i have just had a reply however something i didn't ask was about the gold package, is the 4 hours dinner private. I know how busy araceli is and hoped you could answer this for me. Hope you can help. Also the palapa if you have any pictures of this i would really love to see them as i've not heard about it before and what meal do you have if you have the palapa. Thanks again Donna

Thank you for your reply, i thought that was the case with the translating of documents as tania said i didn;t have to then blanca said i did only to email again saying sorry thought i'd been married before so no i didn't so just wanted to be sure. I know i shouldn;t read trip advisor but its hard not to look. Just this week there seems to be a lot of bad ones. But i've been looking at pictures and i'm over that now and looking forward to it again. think its just nerves and worrying as with 26 of us going and getting married there i just want everything to be perfect and i'm sure it will. What date are you getting married? Good luck with everything. donna