Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Brides??

[Oilersbride]

Originally Posted by FtMacBride 

 

Well that sounds like an awesome deal.  I am also dealing with Sear Travel and just waiting back to hear prices now.  I have found that the wedding coordinator has been awesome.  I emailed 4 times yesterday back and forth.  How just hoping the TA comes back with a good price so I can finalize everything and people can start paying their deposits.   

When we were looking sunquest was also an option - it allowed a free trip for every 11th person booked I think BUT the price compared to the Air Transat price was like 300 more a person! that just didn't make sense!  I personally wish I could have dealt with Air Transat directly as it is cumbersome waiting for someone who is waiting for someone else to get back to you!

[Janelle0308]

just less than 9 months til I get married there.  Everything is happening so fast! Does anyone know when you have to send back your requests for flowers and whatnot? There are so many ideas that I'm looking at for invites, STDs, OOT bags etc.  Is it worth bringing all that down or handing them out at a party before we all leave?  Is anyone taking their own decorations?

[Oilersbride]

just less than 9 months til I get married there.  Everything is happening so fast! Does anyone know when you have to send back your requests for flowers and whatnot? There are so many ideas that I'm looking at for invites, STDs, OOT bags etc.  Is it worth bringing all that down or handing them out at a party before we all leave?  Is anyone taking their own decorations?

I plan on taking minimal decoration stuff with me. Don't plan on doing oot bags and will likely do travel mugs for our wedding favor. Not 100 percent sure but I believe they request things to be done 3 months ahead of time for picking stuff - we got a bunch of information and it was requested to be sent back 3 months prior but that the guest list can be altered up to a week before for those who decide last minute to come.

[JHo2013]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janelle0308 

just less than 9 months til I get married there.  Everything is happening so fast! Does anyone know when you have to send back your requests for flowers and whatnot? There are so many ideas that I'm looking at for invites, STDs, OOT bags etc.  Is it worth bringing all that down or handing them out at a party before we all leave?  Is anyone taking their own decorations?

 

Hi Janelle - my wedding is on Aug 3, and we are flying on July 29th - and I still haven't really provided the forms to my wedding coordinator yet. Lots of changes with the guestlist happening last minute. I'm bringing almost all my own decorations. I made decorations, programs, and fans for the ceremony. I'm also bringing a unity sand kit. I have made a few other things for cocktail hour, our centerpieces, and cake topper. I am now considering handing out the gifts to my guests before we leave just to not have to check an extra luggage, but we're still trying to pack things and organize.

[Janelle0308]

I was thinking the same with the OOT bags - just give them out so i don't have to transport them.  Another concern I'm having is with the photographer the resort uses.  I have read many reviews on here saying its pretty terrible and the photos look like they are from the 80s. So we are hiring an outside photographer and videographer.  Has anyone had any experience doing this? We don't mind paying the fee to bring them in but how do we make sure the company doesn't still show up on our wedding day?

[MJKH]

We had an outside photographer and simply paid for her and her assistant to spend the night at the resort. That allowed us to avoid paying the fee for an outside vendor plus they were then available the next day to do our sunrise TTD photos. Actually, it was in the contract with the photographer that we book a room for them the night of the wedding.

 

A few weeks before the wedding, we received an e-mail from the on-site photographer at the GS with the details of their packages and whatnot. We promptly replied to them (cc'ing the wedding coordinator) that "as we will be bringing our own photographers, we will not be in need of their services and we kindly and respectfully ask that they not take video or photos of us or our group on our wedding day". No issues to report...all went well. Not sure if/how the policies there have changed since we were married in 2012.

  

Originally Posted by Janelle0308 

I was thinking the same with the OOT bags - just give them out so i don't have to transport them.  Another concern I'm having is with the photographer the resort uses.  I have read many reviews on here saying its pretty terrible and the photos look like they are from the 80s. So we are hiring an outside photographer and videographer.  Has anyone had any experience doing this? We don't mind paying the fee to bring them in but how do we make sure the company doesn't still show up on our wedding day?

[Leelou2000]

I had a bit of a war over photography as we have friends coming to the wedding that are doing our photos. They are photographers by trade, but also friends and our guests. Because they have professional equipment, the hotel STILL told us we had to pay the 300 fee - ridiculous! I asked what would happen if a family member wanted to take pictures, and apparently they keep on eye on whether you are having professional photos done, and I've heard they even have the right to confiscate the equipment is the penalty is not paid. YIKES! I argued with them until they said we didn't have to pay because they are friends and are staying at the resort for the whole week. The WC gave me an absolute guarantee that their on-site photographer would be nowhere in sight on the wedding day. I am definitely keeping BOTH those e-mails!!! 

[Oilersbride]

Originally Posted by Leelou2000 

 

I had a bit of a war over photography as we have friends coming to the wedding that are doing our photos. They are photographers by trade, but also friends and our guests. Because they have professional equipment, the hotel STILL told us we had to pay the 300 fee - ridiculous! I asked what would happen if a family member wanted to take pictures, and apparently they keep on eye on whether you are having professional photos done, and I've heard they even have the right to confiscate the equipment is the penalty is not paid. YIKES! I argued with them until they said we didn't have to pay because they are friends and are staying at the resort for the whole week. The WC gave me an absolute guarantee that their on-site photographer would be nowhere in sight on the wedding day. I am definitely keeping BOTH those e-mails!!! 

Thanks for this info! We are going to be in the exact same boat - our friend is coming and we have hired her to do photos as it is her on the side hobby to make some extra money. She definitely doesn't have any extraordinary equipment as it will only be her taking photos but I will definitely be letting the WC know next month that we will not be requiring the use of the hotel photographers. 

[Oilersbride]

Originally Posted by Leelou2000 

 

I had a bit of a war over photography as we have friends coming to the wedding that are doing our photos. They are photographers by trade, but also friends and our guests. Because they have professional equipment, the hotel STILL told us we had to pay the 300 fee - ridiculous! I asked what would happen if a family member wanted to take pictures, and apparently they keep on eye on whether you are having professional photos done, and I've heard they even have the right to confiscate the equipment is the penalty is not paid. YIKES! I argued with them until they said we didn't have to pay because they are friends and are staying at the resort for the whole week. The WC gave me an absolute guarantee that their on-site photographer would be nowhere in sight on the wedding day. I am definitely keeping BOTH those e-mails!!! 

As well a day pass for a guest not staying on the property is 1000 pesos... but any other day it is 650 pesos for them to come for a day. and they are only allowed to come to the property 2 hours before the wedding and leave when it is done (reception) so not only do they get your money for the meal that you are paying per person the off site guest has to pay MORE to come to the wedding on a day pass than they would if they had just come to use their facilities!

[Leelou2000]

I'm from Ottawa getting married at GS May 2014 and we got our group booking with Air Canada Vacations - because we are going off season and have people coming from Ottawa, Toronto, N-B, N-S, and Calgary, we needed the cheap connectors. I am working with a travel coordinator with Flight Centre who has been AMAZING. She specializes in destination weddings so she knows what she's talking about and was able to get the best quotes given what we were looking for and great advice on what resort to choose. Our price was 1300 from TO, 1315 from Ottawa, 1350 from Quebec city, and between 1400-1430 from Calgary and N-B. Someone went to book past the 90 days and found the rates went up 200 per person!