Jasmin's Gran Caribe Real Review (With Pictures)

[Jazzy]

Gran Caribe Real  (all 40 guests stayed here)

 

We truly enjoyed our stay, there was always something to do and the service was great.   The only issues we had were in checking in (though we did get the complimentary upgrade). Checking in took a long time and our room wasn't ready till 4:30 pm. Checking in for our guests was just as bad for some even worse. Some of my guests had to stay in different rooms (not the ones they had reserved) for one night because the rooms they did book were not available, so it was a hastle for them to be unpacking and packing. Which doesn't make sense since we blocked out the rooms months in advance.    One of my aunts and I argued with the manager until they actually gave her the room she had reserved. So my advice is to fight them until you get what you paid for!   Other than this our vacation was amazing. My guests kept on telling me how much they loved it there.   Food & Drinks: The food was good! The waiters and bartenders provided great service.   Wright Travel: Wendy Hicks was our travel agent! We went with room blocking! She was awesome and got us a good deal. She was also very quick to responding to emails and phone calls. I did not have any complaints from any of my guests in paying for their rooms.    Rehearsal Dinner:   We didn't want to pay extra for a semi private dinner for our rehearsal, so we just had everyone meet by the bar in the lobby. Then we went outside (pool area next to sunset grill) and discussed wedding plans and who was doing what. After business was taken care of we ate at sunset grill. We didn't all get to sit together but the restaurant did a good job in accommodating our party. They just sat about 8-10 ppl per table. It worked out great.   Ceremony 4:00-5:00 p.m.   Royal Catholic Wedding package::::::::Our onsite Coordinator was Diana Rodriguez (she was amazing, the process was extremely easy)   I was informed that the meeting with the priest was optional when I had my meeting initial meeting with Diana. We did not have one. Diana took our transfer letter and also made a copy of our baptismal certificates.    We did not have a rehearsal in the chapel but everything still turned out great! Diana did a great job at organizing everything the day of the wedding. She requested that the bridal party and guests arrive 30 mins early to the chapel. She told everyone where to sit such as parents, sponsors, and etc... During the ceremony the priest discretely asked me what sponsors I had or what needed to be blessed (We had Lazo and Bible sponsors).   Music: We has the violinist, loved the music. He chose the songs.   Flowers: I loved my bridal bouquet (it was the standard bridal bouquet included in the package). The alter centerpiece was also beautiful. I ordered my bridesmaid bouquets from the following website. They were real touch flowers, the looked and felt real! They were $43.50 each.   http://www.sharonnagassardesigns.com/Inspired%20Designs%20Collection%20-%201.html   Hair & Make-up: My cousin/moh is a stylist so she did my hair and make-up!   **** No one told me or any of my guests anything about covering up since we had strapless dresses.  

 

 

 

  Cocktail Hour   5:00-6:00p.m.   Location: Beach (below Chapel)   We took pictures during this time. I did not get to tastes the food, but my family said the food was good. During our meeting with Diana she informed us that we get to have signature drinks (you just pick the color of drinks you would like to have, ours were blue and orange). It was a nice touch! 

(not a professional pic, just wanted to show you the set up)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reception      6:00-9:00 p.m.   Location: Private Reception on Beach (below chapel)   Centerpieces: We brought them, my maid of honor/cousin made them. We brought 5 vases and just distributed them among family members so they wouldn't take up that much space. They vases were about $6.00 we bought them at Ross, and the flowers, candles, and rocks from hobby lobby and Michaels.    Food: We had the option of salmon or fish filet (RD-3 & PE-4). I tasted both dishes and they were good!  I was responsible of letting the wedding coordinator know ahead of time how many dishes of each were needed. I was also responsible for making labels so that the waiters could know where to place each plate. I bought starfish from Michaels and used teal ribbon for my guests having beef and orange ribbon for my guests having salmon. It worked out great!   Cake: We went with the basic cake included in our package and the flavor was chocolate. The cake was really good but we were so busy dancing that I don't think most of my guests ate it all. (Glad I did not pay extra for a bigger and fancier cake).   Overall we had an amazing time! The waiters kept the drinks coming (especially shots, after we took the first one I told him to keep them coming and they did, I don't think anyone remembers how many we had) Our guests definitely enjoyed themselves!   When the reception ended we all went to the lobby! There was live music and we just continued the party and kept on dancing and drinking! It was soooooo much fun! After that was over our guests went to the pool and to the beach!  

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    DJ   We hired Hits Band for our DJ, we also paid extra for the light up dance floor. Hiring Hits Band was more affordable than hiring the resort DJ (even including the $350.00 outside vendor fee, it was still cheaper). Not only were the DJ services more affordable but so was the dance floor! The DJ played good music and kept our guests dancing all night!  

http://hitsband.com/v3/

 

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

  Photographer   We hired Octavio Montes! He did a great job, he was professional, easygoing, and had a sense of humor. His prices are also really affordable. He also did our TTD session, he picked us up from the resort and dropped us off. We were supposed to go to a cenote to take our pictures but I changed my mind since the drive was going to be quite long and we wanted to hang out on our last day with friends and family. He was understanding and drove around and found the perfect place to take pictures at! Octavio also had our pictures ready in one week!   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Octavio-Montes-Photography/128379107244128 http://www.octaviomontes.com/

-- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip info:

Chichen Itza: When my husband and I arrived to Cancun 4 days prior we went out looking for a good deal for Chichen Itza. We ended up getting a good deal! $40 per person, this included the trip , visit a cenote, buffet lunch, and our visit to Chichen Itza. My advice is to not buy from the vendors at the resort because they are extremely overpriced. They were charging us about $120 for this same deal! All of my guests definitely enjoyed the trip (it was also rainy and cloudy this day so it was perfect because we weren't burning up)

 

****Feel free to ask questions! Hope this was helpful

[Moments That Matter]

Looks so beautiful, Jazzy - Congrats +  well done !

[ncalvar]

Congratulations on your wedding! The pics look beautiful!!!

 

                I'm actually getting married there on April 24, 2013 and had a few questions if you don't mind.........

We actually picked the same package (Royal Catholic) and I was wondering if you had to do all the rituals? Or if you get to choose which ones to do?

Also do you have a picture of your actual bouquet? I'm still debating whether to use an outside vendor for my flowers or just order the standard one and use silk flowers for my girls..... Also, I know that they give you the option of an instrument for the ceremony and you said that they picked the music but do they play during the ceremony? Or are they only there at the begining? Also do they play when you walk out?

 

I really appreciate your help and look forward to seeing you post your prof. pictures. Lol

 

                                                              Thanks again,

 

                                                                          Natalia

[Jazzy]

Thanks!!

 

@ NCalvar: You don't have to do all the rituals. The priest will ask you which ones you want to do. 

 

Bouquet: I really liked my bouquet (came with the package), it was really well done and the flowers looked fresh!They can personalize them for you such as colors and etc..

 

Music: The violinist played throughout the ceremony! (so there were no quiet awkward moments).

 

 

Pic of bouquet included in the package

 

 

Bridesmaid bouquets, (real touch flowers)

 

Most of the pics posted above were professional pics. Only a couple weren't.

 

Hope this helps

[ncalvar]

The bouquet was beautiful!!! Thank you so much for the information! Also, if you don't mind me asking what package did you choose from

Hitsband? And did you get to choose your own songs?   Again, thanks again for all your help. =)

[Jazzy]

I got the 6hour package (the price was the same regardless if you only use them for 3hours). I really didn't have a choice. The price is still cheaper than paying for the resort dj! I only chose the song for our first dance. Other than that I had just let him know what type of music I wanted played, but I didn't give him a list of any specific songs.

[Kmartz]

Hi Jazzy, Your wedding looks amazing! Thanks for the post. I am starting to plan my wedding at GCR for this summer. I've been communication with my assigned wedding coordinator, however she is very slow to reaping. I wondered if you had the same experience. I am planning on having the same set up as you. Did you do the royal catholic wedding package? Would you mind sharing how much you spent over all for the wedding festivities? If not, totally understandable. I am trying to get an estimate from my wedding coordinator, prior to committing with a deposit, but it seems like pulling teeth. My FI wants to make sure we don't have any surprises. Thanks so much!

[Jazzy]

Thanks! My wedding coordinator was Elsa Torres, she was usually pretty prompt, but every now and then she would take a while to reply (I usually re-sent the email when this happened). Yes, I had the royal catholic wedding pkg! I paid $3,810, this includes, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception (for 40 guests, 4 of them being kids), Champagne toast, and $700 in vendor fees for dj and photographer. I did not hire the resort videographer but he recorded my wedding anyway. The following day he met up with us and showed us the video and offered us three copies for $300. We told him we had to think about it since we hadn't planned on this additional expense. Long story short we paid $200 for 2 copies! (well my mom paid for one and I paid for the other!) I don't have the exact numbers for the DJ and photographer, I think it was around $2,800 for both. Oh we also,, we tipped the waiters and bartenders. They did a great job, so bring some cash just in case you want to tip. I hope this answered your questions

[LoriGran]

Great Pictures!!! I'm looking to get married at the Gran Caribe Real so I really enjoy looking at the reviews! Thanks for sharing

[Jazzy]

No problem, feel free to ask questions!