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Quote: Originally Posted by Luli I have a few questions for all the brides/couples that had the private beach reception: how was the setup for it? did you go with what was included in the per person price..or did you bring your own centrepieces etc? I would love to know how it was and the experience you had.... also, Patricia told me its only for 4 hours, did time fly how did you fit everything in to the 4 hours, eg: dancing eating speeches etc... Im so confused and think that 4hours isnt enough. Looking forward to your answers and advice. I have finally posted my review, here's the link http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...5/#post1159584 Luli, I was a no-fuss Bride, did not bring my own stuff down.. It was simple, but still beautiful. We did not do a lot of the traditional stuff...apart from the garter and bouquet and first dance, there was nothing. No cake, none of all the other dances, and no formal speeches. And the four hours still flew by!! With so much delicious food, all people did for the first two hours was eat. then they were too full to dance! I would've liked to have had another hour. You might be able to pay by the hour. It was fine though...the lobby bar is beautiful, so we just headed over there and kept the party going. I have not posted pics because I don't think I have the points to do so. If any of you want pictures of something specific, send me your email and I will see what I can do Leslie

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 Question(s) for all of you recent brides who had a symbolic ceremony......how was it? Could you really tell the difference? Does your MOH & BM still sign a certificate of some kind? We did it...it was short and sweet, just how we wanted it, but still romantic. I still cried! And yes, all four people still sign a certificate.

Quote: Originally Posted by tedesco29 The people that i spoke to on here that were getting married on here were great people, wish i got to hang with them more, but thats something i should incourage to all of you. I can;t really think of anything else to say right now, i'll put some pics up soon. Ditto It was great to at least have met you and seen how great you both looked that day!

As promised, here it is. I apologize in advance for the length as well as the format. I have a lot to say and I am not sure how to organize all my thoughts ! We stayed at the GRP from January 16-23. We booked with the weddings department at itravel2000 through Air Canada Vacations. Our specialist at itravel was great right from the start. She worked hard to get us competitive quotes quickly and was really good about keeping in touch and calling to explain the many things I didn’t understand. She even had us upgraded to first class on the way there and the way back, as a surprise! It was definitely a nice treat and a welcomed surprise, only now I wish I could always fly first class! Check-in was smooth. There was no one waiting to greet us with champagne as I have read was done for other brides, but the following makes up for it: I had emailed the reservations desk two weeks before departure asking for upgrades for us and our guests (if they were available). Upon check-in, we and many of our 46 guests had been upgraded! We were upgraded from a Junior Suite to a Junior Deluxe Suite, allowing us access to two additional restaurants (Le Fleur and Miso). Some of our guests had already booked Deluxe Suites or Swim Up rooms. They were not further upgraded. But about 35 of us were! Wait to impress us right from the start! Service at the resort is incredible! There is never a shortage of people happy to assist you with anything. We had a few guests move rooms as they wanted to be closer to the action. This was no problem. If you called the front desk for anything, it was seen to immediately, and it was followed up with a courtesy call to make sure it was taken care of. Service at the restaurants was great, and decent at the buffets. Yes sometimes it seemed like the main pool bar was understaffed. You might wait tops 5 minutes for a drink. But you are in Mexico. Take in the sun and the scenery around you and it will fly by! Food....great selection. Did we enjoy everything, no. But we don't enjoy everything we eat at home either! We had guests in our party not to bother eating at LE Fleur (French restaurant) and than other guests tell us how magnificent the meal was there! Taste is so subjective. My three favouritees were Miso (japanese) Mama Mia (Italian) and La Hacienda (Mexican). I would not recommend La Vaqueria. Tapas was okay for the food, but the show (flamenco) makes it worth going to. We did not get a chance to eat at Le Fleur or Las Olas. Making dinner reservations the day of was never a problem for us. Pools...awesome! They run the length of the resort and you an area of the pool system to match your mood Swim up rooms were also a lot of fun. Watch out at dusk though...out come the mosquitoes. The resort supplies you with repellent and it does the trick. Beach...to the people who were complaining about it being rocky and needed water shoes, you must have ultra sensitive feet. Not one person in our party had an issue with the rock. It doesn't run the width of the resort and could be avoided easily enough. There is a little hut on the beach where you can take out boogie boards and catamarans...take advantages of this! Massages on the beach $50 per hour, well worth it if you have a few bucks to spare. Rooms: immaculate!!! Beautiful, sleek, huge! Yes the showers can leak. Big deal, put a towel down. Floors are wet when slippery so be careful! Security: Was worried, but we did not encounter any issues. On the second to last day, a few of our guests did have security come knock on their door "to make sure everything was okay". We found this a bit strange and made front dest aware of it, but nothing ever came out of it. Size: it is as big as they say! This was a feature to us, but some of our guests found the walking too much. This is my 4th all inclusive, second in the Mayan. I have also stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, which three years ago cost almost double to stay at for the week. My husband and I both agree that we would come back to the GRP before the Iberostar. Sorry for the long review! Hope that for some of you who have booked here this review puts your worries at rest Some people are never pleased! Wedding: Cannot stress how amazing it was. It exceeded my every hope for a wedding! I am not the girl who has been dreaming of her wedding since she was 10. I really didn’t have a lot of expectations for the wedding. I am laid-back and no fuss. The wedding coordinators were professional and great to work with, service at the beach reception was impeccable. Surprise champagne delivered to the room the morning of and the morning after were a nice added touch. I had the pleasure of mostly working with Patricia. She was always prompt in answering my emails, no more than a few hours after I had written them. She also took it upon herself to see that we and all of our guests ended up in the brand new building after I enquired about it. We went with the renewal of vows package as we legally got married in Canada before heading down. A surprise bottle of champagne was delivered to my room, along with my beautiful bouquet 25 minutes before the golf cart picked my bridesmaids and me up. We were taken to the simple, elegantly decorated gazebo, where I could hear my cd playing as we drove up. We did not pay the extra for the flowers on the gazebo, but they were there (not matching my bouquet…but still!)The ceremony was short and sweet but still very romantic. Originally we were not going to go with the private beach reception. I thought it was a huge rip-off at $85 per person. As our numbers climbed closer to 50, we realized a restaurant reception was not going to give us neither the privacy nor the time we needed to visit with each guest. $85 per head is an outrageous price to imagine paying when all of your guests your guests are already paying for food and drink themselves…if you look at it that way. However, the price also includes so much more, which I eventually came to realize. It also includes the set-up and take down of the tables and the buffet and the dj, who was phenomenal. The meal is the best meal you will have while at the resort! The selection was incredible, and the food was hot…the man grills the meat right there on the beach. The service was outstanding! There was a team of probably at least 15 or more servers and bartenders attending to us and the buffet. They wouldn’t allow you to carry your own plate to the table and the served you all your drinks. Patricia was there making sure everything went smooth and when her shift was over, she introduced me to Sabina, who took care of us for the rest of the night. The wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful or a bigger success

Hi all, Just got back early Sunday morning from our week long wedding trip at the GRP. Was super nervous and aprehensive about this hotel, based solely on the Trip Advisor reviews. I waited all week for something to go wrong, but it never did. This hotel exceeded every single one of our expectations and then some. The staff accomodated our every request and the wedding was more stunning and beautiful than we could have hoped for. I am hoping to put a review together over the next week or so. Ease your worries if you have booked here: it is a fantastic resort!

Quote: Originally Posted by tedesco29 no i don't mind we had a civil ceremony at our house, very relaxed. You can find out that information through city hall. We only told close members of family, just becasue we didn't want people to get pissed at us, so we just kept it small. Saving the party for the cocktail reception when we get back. We have 10 people going, kinda small but it will work. how many are you guys having come down Leslie? We are having 50 people come down. We aren't doing anything at home when we get back, Mexico is it Apparently a whole new part of the resort opened up this last week, a Spanish tapas restaurant with flanco show, a piano bar and 144 new rooms and a pool )) All things I love!

Quote: Originally Posted by tedesco29 we arrive at 930am in mexico on monday morning. We took the vow renewal one, we got married already just to save the extra costs and hassle involved with getting married in mexico. But for sure will do a drink, My name is Mike and my wife will be Christine. When do you guys arrive? We are doing the vow renewal as well. We are getting married here tomorrow night and then we leave Saturday morning. So we should be at the resort sometime Saturday night. I am Leslie and my hubby to be is Dana. Do you guys have many people in your party?

Quote: Originally Posted by tedesco29 4 pm on the 20th what time are you guys? LOL too funny We are actually on the 21st at 4pm. I wanted the 20th at 4pm...but that time was already taken...obviously by you LOL You coming from Hamilton? What packages did you choose? What day do you arrive? It would be great to meet up for a drink! Let me know if you'd like to For you future GRP brides to be...I am leaving in 3 sleeps, can't wait! I would love to write a crazy review and post my pictures but I still haven't figured out how the points system works and I am pretty sure I won't be able to. If you have any specific questions, let me know and I will do my best to answer them

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 Ladies....what did everyone do or plan to do when it comes to room choice. I just got the price for upgrades and I'm on the fence with what to do. Part of me says....how much time do you actually spend in the room? The other part says....it's my wedding/honeymoon, an upgrade is a must - not to mention a bigger room would be great for greating ready with the girls day of! I was in the same boat as you about 4 months ago We decided not to upgrade because we know we won't be spending anytime in the room except when we are sleeping. We also are skimping wherever we can because money has gotten tighter and tighter since we got engaged and we wanted to be able to do the beach party. I say if money isn't really an issue, splurge!! You have a really good point about getting ready that day. You could also ask for a free upgrade when you get down there...that is my plan. I will let you know how it goes!

Quote: Originally Posted by K4trYn3 Hi ladies! We're getting married at the Grand Riviera Princess on April 28th 2010. I was wondering if anyone could give me some info on the DJ options for regular music (for example, if we wanted songs from an Ipod)? Also, do any of you know of a photographer that is reasonably priced? We're trying to stay budget-conscious, while still getting the most out of our day! Not really sure what to expect... Although, after reading some comments and reviews on here, I'm feeling good about our choice! I have been told the DJ is set up with a mac book, so I don't whay you wouldn't be able to bring down your ipod and have him play some songs from it One of the wedding coordinators should be able to have that question answered for you. As for the photographer, we aren't having one so I can't help you there. I do know that you have to pay a fee for them to come on to the property. The resort has their own photographer. I am not sure if he/she is any good. From what I understand, they take pictures of your wedding, and then give you the option of purchasing them. If we go this route, I will let you know how the pics turn out. But we have enough people in our group that take fantastic pictures, so we are mostly relying on them. Cutting out the photog has allowed us to afford the beach party

I believe the fee is $70 or $75 for the day.

I am getting married Januuary 20th too!!! What time?!

Congratulations to both of you ))) Thanks for the wonderful review Ashley, and looking forward to yours Amandseth! I am getting married here January 21, and trying to decide if I am going to splurge for the beach party...you may have just convinced me Ashley! Tlseege, I would love to see some pics of the resort!

Amandseth, Somehow I missed your last two posts, never got the update...? How was your legal ceremony!?!?! Congrats on now being a Mrs! And so close to your trip! I am so excited and happy for you! Can't wait to see some pics! Have a wonderful time! Same goes for you Forevermexico! Have a blast! You must both be glad to be escaping a chilly Albertan fall!

Thanks for all the helpful hints ladies Corey, the catamaran can be rented out by the size in 4 or 7 hour periods and I believe it starts at about $2300 for a 4 hour period for a 40 person catamaran. There are all kinds of companies, try googling "cancun boat rentals" or "cancun tours". Sunseeker, have you considered taking your guests on a sunset dinner cruise instead of paying the ridiculous amounts the resort has asked you to? If I end up with "too many" I might choose that option. I have a really hard time paying for things that my guests have already been charged for, such as open bar!!! Amandseth, wow!!! Less than two months away! I hope you will share somee pics with us! You must be getting really excited! Are you getting married in Canada before you go or are you doing it all down there?