Any Gran Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Brides out there?

[lenyblair]

You all had me worried with the 800$ fee so I email the resort yesterday. I just got a response from the resort today. They stated that I will need a 75.00 day pass for my photographer...I am printing all my emails and bringing them with me so I have some backup when I get there!!! Just in case!!!

If all I need is a day pass then anyone staying there should NOT have a charge to photograph your day! I just wouldn't tell them about it if that was the case.

 

Originally Posted by FutureKeese22 

Hi Ladies!

I am new to this site and I am recently engaged as of February 21, 2012 and I couldn't be more excited to plan my destination wedding! I have the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica as the resort we are getting married at on June 22, 2013 at 3 PM as they day we are getting married! I would love any advice you can give me. I have gone through a lot of the posts so I know some! We reserved the steel drum band as well and will more than likely have a semi-private dinner and the gazebo/dj/bartender for after dinner and on to the disco! Our photographer is a family friend and she is a paying guest at the resort for 3 nights, 4 days and Chandlyn said we had to pay $800 for her, but she told me friends and family could take pictures? She is a friend, so this doesn't make sense. I refuse to pay $800. She said that the policy changed about 3 weeks ago on photographers. Anyway, I look forward to hearing stories and love all of the information I have come across about the Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica! We also want to stay 2 weeks and take our honeymoon somewhere in Negril, Jamaica. We have a travel agent, but she hasn't started looking up prices yet. We are also doing boarding pass save the dates. I am trying to get everything major out of the way so my guests have time to save!

Amanda

 

[FutureKeese22]

I can't believe she wants to charge me $800. I told my photographer who is also my friend and a PAYING guest and she said not to worry that I wouldn't have to pay. She's that confident that if I do have to pay she will pay the $800. I was just trying to cover all my bases in letting Chandlyn know everything. Maybe because I am planning so far in advance she is just trying to throw on costs, but she did say the hotel policy on photographers changed 3 weeks ago and any bride before this change would only have to pay $75, but I booked my date 3 weeks ago and that isn't fair to me because she never told me. But I am not going to worry. I refuse to have the resort take my pictures...I heard they were terrible!

[JayKay]

The resort recently changed their photo shop people.  Before it used to be Digipix and now its Ariffice Studio (or something like that).  The pictures they took actually weren't too bad.  Better then the last company that used to be there when we started planning our wedding.  That being said they only took photos of our ceremony so I'm not sure how the rest of the photos would look.  I would still hire someone outside the resort or bring your own photographer in my opinion though.

 

Originally Posted by FutureKeese22 

I can't believe she wants to charge me $800. I told my photographer who is also my friend and a PAYING guest and she said not to worry that I wouldn't have to pay. She's that confident that if I do have to pay she will pay the $800. I was just trying to cover all my bases in letting Chandlyn know everything. Maybe because I am planning so far in advance she is just trying to throw on costs, but she did say the hotel policy on photographers changed 3 weeks ago and any bride before this change would only have to pay $75, but I booked my date 3 weeks ago and that isn't fair to me because she never told me. But I am not going to worry. I refuse to have the resort take my pictures...I heard they were terrible!

 

[Kristo]

Well I'm glad you've gotten a reply.. I sent my original reply last week and still have not heard a dang thing back! 
 

Originally Posted by lenyblair 

You all had me worried with the 800$ fee so I email the resort yesterday. I just got a response from the resort today. They stated that I will need a 75.00 day pass for my photographer...I am printing all my emails and bringing them with me so I have some backup when I get there!!! Just in case!!!

If all I need is a day pass then anyone staying there should NOT have a charge to photograph your day! I just wouldn't tell them about it if that was the case.

 

 

 

[lenyblair]

I'm not sure who you are emailing but I always email [email protected]

Except one time which I had to wait about a week and a half for a response they have been getting back to me within a day or two.

Good luck!

 

Originally Posted by Kristo 

Well I'm glad you've gotten a reply.. I sent my original reply last week and still have not heard a dang thing back! 
 

 

 

[kdaly]

Hello Brides =)

We just set our wedding date at the Gran Bahia- April 24th 2013!  I'm so excited to have  a date picked out and confirmed!  I have a couple questions, I'm hoping someone will be able to answer.

 

For the semi-private dinner do they tell you how many tables you have so they you can make seating charts ahead of time and plan the number of table decorations to have or how does that work?

 

Also, has anyone ever done the gazebo beach reception?  If so did you enjoy yourself? and did you pay the extra money per person to get the open bar?  I'm confused by how that works and if it's worth it to pay $23 a person for that for 2 hours.

 

Thank you!

[Jamaicanmecrazy]

I am also wondering about a cocktail party after the ceremony then a private restaurant rental, then beach gazebo for the dancing? Is the gazebo enough room for around 35 people? Also Is the latest the reception can last 11?

 

If anyone who has been married here can reply with their itinerary that would be appreciated

[ashley490]

We rented out the gazebo for after dinner dancing for our wedding this past January.  We had a good time.  The DJ has lots of up to date music and there was plenty of space for folks to dance.  We also paid the extra money per person for the bar.  My thoughts are if you have a lot of beer drinkers it's not really worth the money as the bar does not have Red Stripe...just the yucky cheap version Caribe.  If you have a lot of cocktail drinkers who are actually going to drink then it's worth the extra money.  If you have folks who will only have 2 or 3 drinks then I'd say skip hiring the bar and just do what some of the past brides have done by tipping one of the bartender's to make a couple jugs of rum punch and serve that to your guests.  Hope that helps!

 

Originally Posted by kdaly 

Hello Brides =)

We just set our wedding date at the Gran Bahia- April 24th 2013!  I'm so excited to have  a date picked out and confirmed!  I have a couple questions, I'm hoping someone will be able to answer.

 

For the semi-private dinner do they tell you how many tables you have so they you can make seating charts ahead of time and plan the number of table decorations to have or how does that work?

 

Also, has anyone ever done the gazebo beach reception?  If so did you enjoy yourself? and did you pay the extra money per person to get the open bar?  I'm confused by how that works and if it's worth it to pay $23 a person for that for 2 hours.

 

Thank you!

 

[JayKay]

When we got to the resort and had our meeting with the wedding planners they asked how we would like our tables set up.  To us it didn't really matter because we were a small group.  However, if you are a larger group and want specific seating, I would make a chart and give it to them.  As to how many people each tables holds, I'm not exactly sure.

 

Originally Posted by kdaly 

Hello Brides =)

We just set our wedding date at the Gran Bahia- April 24th 2013!  I'm so excited to have  a date picked out and confirmed!  I have a couple questions, I'm hoping someone will be able to answer.

 

For the semi-private dinner do they tell you how many tables you have so they you can make seating charts ahead of time and plan the number of table decorations to have or how does that work?

 

Also, has anyone ever done the gazebo beach reception?  If so did you enjoy yourself? and did you pay the extra money per person to get the open bar?  I'm confused by how that works and if it's worth it to pay $23 a person for that for 2 hours.

 

Thank you!

 

[kdaly]

Thank you for the Info!  So do I go to any bartender and ask them for that and for the beer drinkers are you able to bring down beer from the room to the gazebo?  Did you get to decide between round or long tables?   It really doesn't matter to me one way or another but all this stuff is good to know in planning.  This is sooo exciting and thanks again girls for being so helpful!