Any Gran Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Brides out there?

[SarahJ]

Hi ladies.  Right I promised to review my experience so here goes...i'll do my best.

 

We have just returned from our 2 week vacation at GBP, Runaway Bay and we absolutely loved it.  The hotel, the resort, the people, the weather, the food, the drink....we loved the whole thing! Already planning to return for our anniversary.

 

Anyhow i'll start with the wedding....we met with Chandlyn the day after we arrived at the resort.  As I had been in constant contact with Chandlyn for the 12 months leading up to the wedding we didn't really have much to discuss so the meeting was over within 15minutes.  Christopher Lee was present at the meeting and we discussed which photo package we wanted which only took 5 minutes as we already knew what we wanted and we weren't going to be pushed into a more expensive package than the one we had budgeted for but he wasnt pushy at all and when we said what we wanted he said great, and wrote out all the details and told us what time to be ready for the room photos.  Then we just had to wait until the wedding which was great as we could just get on with our vacation.

 

I had a hair and make-up trial on Thursday before the wedding at the resort Spa.  The only bad point was my appointment was at 11.30 but they didn't see me until 1pm!! If it had been my wedding day obviously I would have been a bit panicked but as it was only a trial I let this slide. They promised that it wouldn't happen on my wedding day and it didn't.  I was quite relaxed about hair and make-up and just told the lady (Gwen) what kind of thing I wanted and then I just sat back and relaxed and let her do her thing.  What she came up with, I absolutely loved.  I also had a pedicure which made my feet feel special too! haha...The day of the wedding the timing was fine.  We started at 9.30 and I left the salon about 12.45 which gave me 15 minutes to get to the room for my first photo shoot but I prefer to be constant rather than sitting about waiting.

 

The electrics weren't working initially when I arrived at the gazebo so they kept me in the buggy out of sight of the guests and my groom for a few minutes while this was rectified which I was actually pleased about as this meant I had time to catch my breath and calm my nerves.  They weren't playing the CD I had given them to play before I arrived but they did get my wedding march song correct and then they didnt play the songs I had chosen for after the ceremony either, they played their own music but I really wasn't going to care too much about such a small thing.  The most important bit was the ceremony and the vows and that all our guests were there, which they were so I was happy.  I can't quite understand the wind at the gazebo because under the gazebo the wind is wild but step one foot out of the gazebo and its blistering heat...our poor guests had to sit in it.  We were so lucky to have the breeze because otherwise I really think I would have fainted in my dress in that heat.  I would actually recommend you have the breeze on your wedding day! haha...because it was so hot I had to take my dress off pretty early that night which I wasnt happy with but I was starting to feel really ill from the tightness of the dress and the heat.  Even the evening didn't bring any coolness.  But I am happy to say my wedding day was a success and everything I had hoped it would be.  It is true what the other brides have said previously...you need to take in every second because you blink and its over!

 

Our photographer was Stanley and he was a sweet guy.  I don't feel comfortable in front of cameras and hate having photos taken of me but he was patient and didnt make me do anything that I wasnt comfortable with.  He was at the steps leading down to the gazebo when I arrived on the buggy and he started snapping away and was present throughout the ceremony but I didn't even notice him once the ceremony had begun and didn't feel like he was intrusive in any way.  My father in law was in the gazebo with us during the wedding doing the video for us (he was just a guest, not a professional and only had a normal handheld camcorder).  No-one said that he couldnt and they didnt try to stop him or even mention him.  We then had group photos and individual photos and then the guests left and we had our beach session which lasted about 45 minutes.  I think they are meant to take x amount of photos but it was extremely hot on our wedding day (the ceremony was at 2pm) and I was getting tired and melting in my dress so I asked the photographer to stop and he did.  We had no problems with the resort photography at all and think they are really nice guys to deal with.  Yes some of the photos aren't amazing but you get what you pay for and we were on a budget so for what we paid we are really happy with the pictures.

 

We then relaxed on the terrace bar drinking before heading down to the Dolce Vita for our meal.  The food was great and the waiter refilled the wine glasses constantly (which led to a messy night for some of our guests).  We had already cut the cake at the gazebo but then had it taken to the restaurant for after the meal.  The cake was gorgeous (in looks and in taste).  On arrival at the Dolce Vita they hadn't used my chair sashes and decorations that I had asked them to but this was no biggy, I mentioned it to Stephany who had someone go and fetch the bits I wanted and they just decorated before our meal was served. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my special day.

 

So to all you brides out there, seriously don't worry about a thing!! You have to remember you've chosen Jamaica to get married and therefore you have to adapt to Jamaican time...they don't have clocks anywhere in the hotel.  They live moment to moment with no worries...so just go with the flow.....as they say in Jamaica everything about my vacation and wedding at GBP was "IRIE MON" (in other words PERFECT!)  

 

I'll try adding a few pictures so you can see the kind of work the resort photographers do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MsPenn]

Hi Everyone!

 

My fiance and I will be getting married on September 25th at the Gran Bahia in Jamaica, and are wondering about the decorations in the Dolce Vita restaurant;  does anyone have any pics from their reception? 

 

I hope to hear from you soon?

[dutchess]

Oh wow what a small world

She's great, she's doing mine aswell lol

[acw271011]

Originally Posted by TriciaF 

 

Hi i am marrying in gbp july 14. It will just be me, my fiance and our son. Has anyone else had party this smalk? Thanks

 

Originally Posted by JillyC 

 

 

I got married in November 2011. Perfect with just me my now husband and 16 year old daughter. No stress and no worries. You will love it.

I was married there Oct 20, 2011 just my husband and I and everything worked out beautifully. We had a reception at home 2 weeks later. Trust the wedding coordinators. They know what they're doing and will make it great even just for the two of you. In fact Chandly and Donnalee signed our marriage licence because we had no witnesses. it will all work out!

[acw271011]

Originally Posted by SarahJ 

 

Hi ladies.  Right I promised to review my experience so here goes...i'll do my best.

 

We have just returned from our 2 week vacation at GBP, Runaway Bay and we absolutely loved it.  The hotel, the resort, the people, the weather, the food, the drink....we loved the whole thing! Already planning to return for our anniversary.

 

Anyhow i'll start with the wedding....we met with Chandlyn the day after we arrived at the resort.  As I had been in constant contact with Chandlyn for the 12 months leading up to the wedding we didn't really have much to discuss so the meeting was over within 15minutes.  Christopher Lee was present at the meeting and we discussed which photo package we wanted which only took 5 minutes as we already knew what we wanted and we weren't going to be pushed into a more expensive package than the one we had budgeted for but he wasnt pushy at all and when we said what we wanted he said great, and wrote out all the details and told us what time to be ready for the room photos.  Then we just had to wait until the wedding which was great as we could just get on with our vacation.

 

I had a hair and make-up trial on Thursday before the wedding at the resort Spa.  The only bad point was my appointment was at 11.30 but they didn't see me until 1pm!! If it had been my wedding day obviously I would have been a bit panicked but as it was only a trial I let this slide. They promised that it wouldn't happen on my wedding day and it didn't.  I was quite relaxed about hair and make-up and just told the lady (Gwen) what kind of thing I wanted and then I just sat back and relaxed and let her do her thing.  What she came up with, I absolutely loved.  I also had a pedicure which made my feet feel special too! haha...The day of the wedding the timing was fine.  We started at 9.30 and I left the salon about 12.45 which gave me 15 minutes to get to the room for my first photo shoot but I prefer to be constant rather than sitting about waiting.

 

The electrics weren't working initially when I arrived at the gazebo so they kept me in the buggy out of sight of the guests and my groom for a few minutes while this was rectified which I was actually pleased about as this meant I had time to catch my breath and calm my nerves.  They weren't playing the CD I had given them to play before I arrived but they did get my wedding march song correct and then they didnt play the songs I had chosen for after the ceremony either, they played their own music but I really wasn't going to care too much about such a small thing.  The most important bit was the ceremony and the vows and that all our guests were there, which they were so I was happy.  I can't quite understand the wind at the gazebo because under the gazebo the wind is wild but step one foot out of the gazebo and its blistering heat...our poor guests had to sit in it.  We were so lucky to have the breeze because otherwise I really think I would have fainted in my dress in that heat.  I would actually recommend you have the breeze on your wedding day! haha...because it was so hot I had to take my dress off pretty early that night which I wasnt happy with but I was starting to feel really ill from the tightness of the dress and the heat.  Even the evening didn't bring any coolness.  But I am happy to say my wedding day was a success and everything I had hoped it would be.  It is true what the other brides have said previously...you need to take in every second because you blink and its over!

 

Our photographer was Stanley and he was a sweet guy.  I don't feel comfortable in front of cameras and hate having photos taken of me but he was patient and didnt make me do anything that I wasnt comfortable with.  He was at the steps leading down to the gazebo when I arrived on the buggy and he started snapping away and was present throughout the ceremony but I didn't even notice him once the ceremony had begun and didn't feel like he was intrusive in any way.  My father in law was in the gazebo with us during the wedding doing the video for us (he was just a guest, not a professional and only had a normal handheld camcorder).  No-one said that he couldnt and they didnt try to stop him or even mention him.  We then had group photos and individual photos and then the guests left and we had our beach session which lasted about 45 minutes.  I think they are meant to take x amount of photos but it was extremely hot on our wedding day (the ceremony was at 2pm) and I was getting tired and melting in my dress so I asked the photographer to stop and he did.  We had no problems with the resort photography at all and think they are really nice guys to deal with.  Yes some of the photos aren't amazing but you get what you pay for and we were on a budget so for what we paid we are really happy with the pictures.

 

We then relaxed on the terrace bar drinking before heading down to the Dolce Vita for our meal.  The food was great and the waiter refilled the wine glasses constantly (which led to a messy night for some of our guests).  We had already cut the cake at the gazebo but then had it taken to the restaurant for after the meal.  The cake was gorgeous (in looks and in taste).  On arrival at the Dolce Vita they hadn't used my chair sashes and decorations that I had asked them to but this was no biggy, I mentioned it to Stephany who had someone go and fetch the bits I wanted and they just decorated before our meal was served. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my special day.

 

So to all you brides out there, seriously don't worry about a thing!! You have to remember you've chosen Jamaica to get married and therefore you have to adapt to Jamaican time...they don't have clocks anywhere in the hotel.  They live moment to moment with no worries...so just go with the flow.....as they say in Jamaica everything about my vacation and wedding at GBP was "IRIE MON" (in other words PERFECT!)  

 

I'll try adding a few pictures so you can see the kind of work the resort photographers do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations! you said the exact same thing I said when we returned from our wedding a year and a half ago. I think it's just naturally a stressful time but it's so hard to make everyone understand the attitude in Jamaica. 'irie mon" is exactly it!

 

your dress is absolutely stunning! do you mind if I ask where you purchased it? do they have a website? my cousin's daughter was married last year and she travelled from Nottingham to London for her dress and paid a FORTUNE for it! I nearly died when she told me how much! lol

[acw271011]

It's unfortunate that GBPJ felt the need to enforce the $800 vendor fee in the way that they are. I agree with JayKay. I'm glad we had our wedding back in 2011 and didn't have to pay it. We also used Merrick Cousley and he was so worth it. Our photos are amazing. The sad part is he probably won't get as much business now due to the fee now being charged. I thought as long as your photographer was a paying guest the resort wasn't charging the fee but I guess that has changed too.  I will say that I've seen vendor fees being charged at resorts in Mexico that I've been looking at, but they seem to average $500 so the vendor fee isn't something new, just new for GBPJ.  good luck to all the brides to be! your wedding day will be fabulous!

 

I've attached a photo of the mixed grill - someone was asking earlier. we had a meal similar to JayKay and it was all good!

 

 

 

[soontobeawalsh]

Originally Posted by SarahJ 

 

Hi ladies.  Right I promised to review my experience so here goes...i'll do my best.

 

We have just returned from our 2 week vacation at GBP, Runaway Bay and we absolutely loved it.  The hotel, the resort, the people, the weather, the food, the drink....we loved the whole thing! Already planning to return for our anniversary.

 

Anyhow i'll start with the wedding....we met with Chandlyn the day after we arrived at the resort.  As I had been in constant contact with Chandlyn for the 12 months leading up to the wedding we didn't really have much to discuss so the meeting was over within 15minutes.  Christopher Lee was present at the meeting and we discussed which photo package we wanted which only took 5 minutes as we already knew what we wanted and we weren't going to be pushed into a more expensive package than the one we had budgeted for but he wasnt pushy at all and when we said what we wanted he said great, and wrote out all the details and told us what time to be ready for the room photos.  Then we just had to wait until the wedding which was great as we could just get on with our vacation.

 

I had a hair and make-up trial on Thursday before the wedding at the resort Spa.  The only bad point was my appointment was at 11.30 but they didn't see me until 1pm!! If it had been my wedding day obviously I would have been a bit panicked but as it was only a trial I let this slide. They promised that it wouldn't happen on my wedding day and it didn't.  I was quite relaxed about hair and make-up and just told the lady (Gwen) what kind of thing I wanted and then I just sat back and relaxed and let her do her thing.  What she came up with, I absolutely loved.  I also had a pedicure which made my feet feel special too! haha...The day of the wedding the timing was fine.  We started at 9.30 and I left the salon about 12.45 which gave me 15 minutes to get to the room for my first photo shoot but I prefer to be constant rather than sitting about waiting.

 

The electrics weren't working initially when I arrived at the gazebo so they kept me in the buggy out of sight of the guests and my groom for a few minutes while this was rectified which I was actually pleased about as this meant I had time to catch my breath and calm my nerves.  They weren't playing the CD I had given them to play before I arrived but they did get my wedding march song correct and then they didnt play the songs I had chosen for after the ceremony either, they played their own music but I really wasn't going to care too much about such a small thing.  The most important bit was the ceremony and the vows and that all our guests were there, which they were so I was happy.  I can't quite understand the wind at the gazebo because under the gazebo the wind is wild but step one foot out of the gazebo and its blistering heat...our poor guests had to sit in it.  We were so lucky to have the breeze because otherwise I really think I would have fainted in my dress in that heat.  I would actually recommend you have the breeze on your wedding day! haha...because it was so hot I had to take my dress off pretty early that night which I wasnt happy with but I was starting to feel really ill from the tightness of the dress and the heat.  Even the evening didn't bring any coolness.  But I am happy to say my wedding day was a success and everything I had hoped it would be.  It is true what the other brides have said previously...you need to take in every second because you blink and its over!

 

Our photographer was Stanley and he was a sweet guy.  I don't feel comfortable in front of cameras and hate having photos taken of me but he was patient and didnt make me do anything that I wasnt comfortable with.  He was at the steps leading down to the gazebo when I arrived on the buggy and he started snapping away and was present throughout the ceremony but I didn't even notice him once the ceremony had begun and didn't feel like he was intrusive in any way.  My father in law was in the gazebo with us during the wedding doing the video for us (he was just a guest, not a professional and only had a normal handheld camcorder).  No-one said that he couldnt and they didnt try to stop him or even mention him.  We then had group photos and individual photos and then the guests left and we had our beach session which lasted about 45 minutes.  I think they are meant to take x amount of photos but it was extremely hot on our wedding day (the ceremony was at 2pm) and I was getting tired and melting in my dress so I asked the photographer to stop and he did.  We had no problems with the resort photography at all and think they are really nice guys to deal with.  Yes some of the photos aren't amazing but you get what you pay for and we were on a budget so for what we paid we are really happy with the pictures.

 

We then relaxed on the terrace bar drinking before heading down to the Dolce Vita for our meal.  The food was great and the waiter refilled the wine glasses constantly (which led to a messy night for some of our guests).  We had already cut the cake at the gazebo but then had it taken to the restaurant for after the meal.  The cake was gorgeous (in looks and in taste).  On arrival at the Dolce Vita they hadn't used my chair sashes and decorations that I had asked them to but this was no biggy, I mentioned it to Stephany who had someone go and fetch the bits I wanted and they just decorated before our meal was served. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my special day.

 

So to all you brides out there, seriously don't worry about a thing!! You have to remember you've chosen Jamaica to get married and therefore you have to adapt to Jamaican time...they don't have clocks anywhere in the hotel.  They live moment to moment with no worries...so just go with the flow.....as they say in Jamaica everything about my vacation and wedding at GBP was "IRIE MON" (in other words PERFECT!)  

 

I'll try adding a few pictures so you can see the kind of work the resort photographers do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the review!

Your dress is amazing! and your pictures look great!  Im so glad you had an amazing wedding.

[FutureKeese22]

Did any brides have any problems bringing their wedding dress on the airplane and storing it in the captain's closet. I have about 6 weeks until the big day and I called the airline and they said as long as there is room I can store it in there! :-)

[SarahJ]

Congratulations! you said the exact same thing I said when we returned from our wedding a year and a half ago. I think it's just naturally a stressful time but it's so hard to make everyone understand the attitude in Jamaica. 'irie mon" is exactly it! your dress is absolutely stunning! do you mind if I ask where you purchased it? do they have a website? my cousin's daughter was married last year and she travelled from Nottingham to London for her dress and paid a FORTUNE for it! I nearly died when she told me how much! lol Hi, it does definitely help if you are able to just go with the flow in Jamaica, there no point worrying about the small things, I so wish I was Jamaican they are the happiest people I've ever met! I purchased my dress from a shop (The Wedding Shop) in my home town in England, a place called Colchester. Yes it was expensive but I wanted the perfect dress for me & I fell in love with it so when I saw the price tag it was too late, I wanted it! Ha ha

[Soon2BAMrs]

Originally Posted by Jamaica2014 

 

 

t Thanks for your review Quick question...did you write your own ceremony, or did the minister use his own words?

 

No problem - the minister used his own words.