Gran Bahia Principe Akumal/Tulum/Coba - POST HERE!

[stylishmeNC]

Thanks Katie!

I will most certainly be posting pics and review ASAP when I get back. I am really excited to share with you all since I got so much out of others posts

Jill
 

Originally Posted by katiemac 

Jill! How very exciting that your wedding is just around the corner! Good luck with everything. I can't wait to read your review and maybe even see some photos. Katie

 

[christy12]

Hey, the hammocks location is the designated wedding site for the akumal section of the hotel. Its just called that because when there are no weddings going on there are hammocks hanging there. There are tons of pics of the location in the wedding reviews or if you go to the official GBP page.

 

 

Originally Posted by yeemein 

Hi Christy12, what's the Akumal hammocks location?

 

[Shan2012]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm getting married at the Akumal on May 25. I was wondering if anyone had the breakdown on the bar servies. I have emailed my wedding coordinator and she has told me that is the amount ( national 12 / international 18) per person , per hour. I was wondering if the pricing is the same for the rest of you. I'm doing a priviate poolside reception and am having trouble figuring out what bar service option to go with. Also, I cannot decide how many hours to hire the dj, we only need him really for the equipment he brings and the dancing portion of it...I want to play music during cocktails in the begining but am curious who sets this equipment up for you if the dj is not hired until later..I would really hate to pay that much for a dj that doesn't really do anything until the dancing but stands around while we do speadches, just so we can use the mic and speakers.. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

 

 

[yeemein]

Hi Shan2012, who is your WC? Mine (Maria) told me the following for cocktail setup between ceremony & reception and private poolside party after reception.

 

**Open Bars

Special Cocktail
Sparkling wine, Beer, Margaritas, Piña Colada                                      5 USD /Pers
                                                                                                        extra hour 3 USD /Pers
National Bar:        
Beer, Rum, Vodka, Tequila, Cocktails, Gin                                           17 USD/pers/hour
                                                                                                 extra hour: 12 USD/pers

 

As for DJ you can choose to use the resort DJ, which is less hassle but a bit more expensive. I believe the resort DJ charges $210usd/hr inclusive of taxes and the DJ I hired, DJ Bijan from Mayan Vibes, was recommended by a bride I found on tripadvisor, charges $150cad/hr but you'll need to pay for his day pass of $90usd which is valiad from 9am til 11pm. I'm hiring DJ Bijan for 3 hires starting @ 8pm. I'm assuming he will have all his equipment setup by 8pm and that's when we'll start with the 1st dance, followed by speeches and dancing!!!

 

We went with the Unforgettable package that includes the musical trio during ceremony, but we have no music during cocktail hour and at the reception...just the restaurant ambience. Since the restaurant isn't private to the wedding group we can't control the music being played, but if you have portable iPod speakers, then I suggest bringing those. It's probably what I will do.

 

I hope this helped. Happy Planning!!!!!!!!

 

Originally Posted by Shan2012 

Hey everyone,

 

I'm getting married at the Akumal on May 25. I was wondering if anyone had the breakdown on the bar servies. I have emailed my wedding coordinator and she has told me that is the amount ( national 12 / international 18) per person , per hour. I was wondering if the pricing is the same for the rest of you. I'm doing a priviate poolside reception and am having trouble figuring out what bar service option to go with. Also, I cannot decide how many hours to hire the dj, we only need him really for the equipment he brings and the dancing portion of it...I want to play music during cocktails in the begining but am curious who sets this equipment up for you if the dj is not hired until later..I would really hate to pay that much for a dj that doesn't really do anything until the dancing but stands around while we do speadches, just so we can use the mic and speakers.. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

 

 

 

[TATrisha]

When I was there in January, there wasn't music being played during dinner (in the Portofino restaurant) and I don't think anyone missed it or even realized.  Everyone was socializing and eating so it wasn't a big deal at all.

[yeemein]

Hi all...I signed up on BDW.com late and been trying to read posts dating back to early-mid 2011 and came across a few things that i'm now concerned about. please help!

 

1. The Akumal Hammocks location is where I'm having my wedding too (...finally figured out what Akumal Hammocks was ) and is fabric supplied by the resort of do you have to bring your own?
2. Music for ceremony: any tips on how to make sure the CD is capitable to the cd player at the resort? I always use iTunes and don't know how else to burn music on a cd.
3. My sister will be my photographer, she is not a professional, as she doesn't do it for a living, but she's good at capturing moments and scenery. I read that there's a limit to camera equipment and also somthing about tourist visa that might need to be filled out? Can someone explain more? I'm super confused on this.

 

I thought I had everything under control, but now I'm starting to worry that I'm missing a lot of details.

 

Our ceremony is @ 4pm and reception is @ 6pm. Do you think this is enough time for photos? I don't really want to take photos before the ceremony because I don't want my FI to see me & my dress.

 

many thanks ladies! this forum has definitely kept me on my toes as to what to expect and think about!!!

[KRama]

Hi Yeemin, see below!
 

Originally Posted by yeemein 

Hi all...I signed up on BDW.com late and been trying to read posts dating back to early-mid 2011 and came across a few things that i'm now concerned about. please help!

 

1. The Akumal Hammocks location is where I'm having my wedding too (...finally figured out what Akumal Hammocks was ) and is fabric supplied by the resort of do you have to bring your own?
   If you want a certain color of fabric you'll have to bring your own, otherwise it's just white (which I think is romantic anyways!)
2. Music for ceremony: any tips on how to make sure the CD is capitable to the cd player at the resort? I always use iTunes and don't know how else to burn music on a cd.
   Just make sure the cd you burn plays on any cd player before you leave and it should be fine. I used iTunes for mine and it worked.
3. My sister will be my photographer, she is not a professional, as she doesn't do it for a living, but she's good at capturing moments and scenery. I read that there's a limit to camera equipment and also somthing about tourist visa that might need to be filled out? Can someone explain more? I'm super confused on this.
   We also had a close friend photograph our wedding and I knew nothing about camera equipment rules or a tourist visa. If you're sister isn't a pro she probably doesn't have tons of lenses, tripods and other fancy stuff and because she's not a pro I don't see why she'd need a tourst visa since she'll just be another guests taking photos! My philosophy was don't ask, don't tell and had no problems at all!

 

I thought I had everything under control, but now I'm starting to worry that I'm missing a lot of details.

 

Our ceremony is @ 4pm and reception is @ 6pm. Do you think this is enough time for photos? I don't really want to take photos before the ceremony because I don't want my FI to see me & my dress.
I had the exact same timeline and it was plenty of time for photos. We did most of our photos right around the ceremony location though so if you want different spots all over the resort that might take more time.

 

many thanks ladies! this forum has definitely kept me on my toes as to what to expect and think about!!!

 

[TSilva]

Shan2012,

 

My WC is also Maria and I was informed the same as Yeemein....5 usd for special cocktail and 17 usd for national. However, based on the responses from past brides, it is best to go with the $5 option because the resort will serve everything (wine, beer margarita, vodka, rum, tequila, etc). We are debating on the private poolside dinner option as well and when I inquired with Maria, she informed me that we can rent the resorts speaker/microphone equipment for 60 usd/hour if we want to play music during the dinner as opposed to hiring the DJ.

 

TSilva

 

Originally Posted by Shan2012 

Hey everyone,

 

I'm getting married at the Akumal on May 25. I was wondering if anyone had the breakdown on the bar servies. I have emailed my wedding coordinator and she has told me that is the amount ( national 12 / international 18) per person , per hour. I was wondering if the pricing is the same for the rest of you. I'm doing a priviate poolside reception and am having trouble figuring out what bar service option to go with. Also, I cannot decide how many hours to hire the dj, we only need him really for the equipment he brings and the dancing portion of it...I want to play music during cocktails in the begining but am curious who sets this equipment up for you if the dj is not hired until later..I would really hate to pay that much for a dj that doesn't really do anything until the dancing but stands around while we do speadches, just so we can use the mic and speakers.. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

 

 

 

[Julybride40]

Hi fraggle42,

 

Thanks so much for the information funny thing Jazmin finally responded to my e-mails yesterday, so all is good now, reading about your experience with her did put my mind at ease though . I just noticed you are getting married on November 19Th, that is my Birthday!

 

Cheers and again Thank You!

Originally Posted by fraggle42 

Hi Julybride40,

 

I haven't done anything special to get her to reply. She has emailed me 3 times now. I send her an email with questions I have and then she replies about a week or 2 later. If I have sent 3 mails in that time she will respond to all queries in one email. But it has been just the initial sorting out of date and venue so she has had to respond because it needed confirming. I bet if I emailed her about something like reception options she will take ages to get back to me because mine is not until November. I agree that they should be in touch with you with yours being in July.

 

I presume you have the correct email address as you say you have had 1 email. The only other thing I can suggest is that when she emailed me the first time to introduce herself she requested that all emails have certain details in the subject. This helps her to find our file and make sure everything is added and also to see date of wedding. Have you got this as your subject:

 

 

Wedding [package type i.e Unforgettable] [wedding date] [travel agency name] [booking reference number] [brides full name] & [grooms full name] [hotel staying in abbreviated]

 

e.g Wedding unforgettable, 1st April 2012, Thompson - T231RTY, Mary Smith & Peter Andrew Jones GBT

 

Try this if you have not already. She can see your wedding date then.

 

 

 

[yeemein]

Kayley, thank you! Your tips have been more helpful. I am much more calm now then I was a few hours ago. If anyone has anything else to add I would love to read more.
 

Originally Posted by KRama 

Hi Yeemin, see below!