Kayley's Gran Bahia Principe Coba Review - May 12, 2010

[KRama]

The symbolic ceremony was exactly like a legal ceremony. Many of our guests didn't know we were legally married at home before we left and no one noticed a difference. You still say vows, they still pronounce you "man and wife", you and your witnesses still sign a certificate and it still feels just as special as a legal ceremony would. The only thing was that it was very short (6 minutes!) which was fine for us since our guests were sitting in the hot sun and we were eager to get on with the party! If you'd like any special readings or vows make sure you bring them with you and give them to your WC to be included in the ceremony.

 

We paid for everything upon checkout. I had made a list of everything that I expected to be charged for so I had an idea of what the total should be and the total they provided was pretty close to that so we didn't bother to ask for an itemized bill. Keep in mind that they give you the total in pesos so be ready for a quick conversion (generally 10 pesos per dollar).

 

Hope that helps!

[MichCraw]

The review is very elaborate and informative... the bouquet they made for you is out of this world.. really really nice ( no extra cost .. wow) You looked beautiful the dress flower hair.. all looked great!

 

[AMlynne]

Thank you! That was all VERY helpful! I'm sure I'll be bugging you along the way with more questions as they pop up  The wedding isn't until February so there will be lots of time to think of things to ask! I hope you don't mind. And again, thank you very much!

[JayKay]

Great review! Thanks for sharing!

[TSilva]

Kayley,

 

I read your post a couple weeks ago and because of you, my fiance and I have decided to have our wedding at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba resort (granted the resort ever get back to us on an available date). It was a toss up between the Gran Bahia and Now Sapphire resorts, but your post confirmed our decision. The pics from your wedding were absolutely AMAZING!!! Besides, the Gran Bahia resort holds more significance, being that my fiance proposed at the Gran Bahia Punta Cana in Dominican Republic. My only hang up with this resort is the communication (or lack thereof)...it's is now going on two weeks and I have not yet heard back from anyone in regards to an available date. We would like to put down a deposit ASAP as we know wedding dates are booked far in advance. If you have any direct email contacts saved, please post them for me. Thanks!

 

Tanesha

[AMlynne]

I am getting married at the Gran Bahia in February. Be patient. They are pretty slow at responding. I was given this advice when I awas starting to get impatient. Just keep sending e-mails. They will get back to you

[Angela Joshi]

Hey Kayley,

 

Your wedding sounded amazing! I am getting married hopefully either May or April and am considering the Gran Bahia Principe Coba to have my destination wedding. 

 

I have been to that resort and thought it was beautiful. While vacationing there I saw some weddings and it looked so beautiful.

 

My question is that I am concerned about the cost. 

 

The flowers you had for your wedding....the bouquet for you, your bridemaids, the flowers at the ceremony....were those extra or were they part of the package. I am considering the Blissful wedding package, which is the one that costs 1350 I believe. 

 

And the cost of the dancing reception...to have it decorated that way was that an extra as well or was that part of the package. 

 

Thanks for any help you can give me. 

 

Angela

[KRama]

Thanks Angela!

 

My bouquet and the flowers at the ceremony were included in the package. I paid for the bridesmaids bouquets ($45/ea), the bouts ($15/ea) and the corsages ($10/ea).

 

For the reception, we only paid for the dj and the bar service which includes the decor and the set up.

 

I did a lot of research before we chose this resort and this was by far the most bang for our buck! I would definitely recommend it!

[Angela Joshi]

Hey Kayley,

 

Thanks for the response. I just had a few more questions. Your private poolside reception was gorgeous, the lights and decor were beautiful. How much did it cost to have that reception, was that part of the wedding package or extra. Did they charge you by the hour and how many hours was the party. Also, how much was the cost per person and was there any extra costs for the lighting and decor and table set up.

 

A little off topic, is there a specific contact # for the wedding co-ordinator. How long did it take for you to get a reply back when you first contacted them. How far in advance did you book your wedding. Did you make sure that the wedding date was available before you booked your vacation package. 

 

Thanks so much for all your help!

 

Angela

[KRama]

The poolside reception is extra and all you pay for is the bar service and the DJ ($210/hour), all the decor (tables, chairs, lighting, candles) was included. I believe we paid $18 per person ($8 for the first hour, $5 for each additional hour) for the bar service and we had a 3 hour long reception. I wish it was longer! It went by so fast!

 

I'm sure the email address I have for the wedding coordinator is the same one you have. It's the generic email for the wedding department. It took several days for them to get back to me which is typical for this resort since they do several weddings per day and are not in their offices very often! I did check to make sure a wedding date was available for the week we wanted to travel and then provided the resort with my quote number from my travel agent in order to reserve the date. We then went ahead and booked the trip and send the info to our guests. We booked about 8 months in advance.

 

The official thread for this resort has lots of great information so make sure you check that out too since my wedding is now nearly 2 years ago and I'm sure things have changed!

 

Happy planning!
Kayley