Lizg

Hi Suzy,funny that you mention changing the dates because I've been considering doing just that!! Even though we've already sent out our invites but I couldn't do it on thursday since a lot of people are getting there on thursday and I think saturday was already booked which is why we went with friday i think...but it wouldn't hurt to ask my wedding coordinator, maybe it's available! Good point about the drinks for the gala dinner, I assumed they were included, I should def double check!! I meant to ask you...you mention the courtyard bar has live music everyday...what type of live music? do they play salsa & merengue or what kind of music or does it change? I had asked my coordinator and she said that they typically play slow relaxed music!! I hope they play fun music too, I mean after all it IS mexico and it SHOULD be lively!! So what's your take on the live music there? What about the shows are they any good? I also heard there was some flamenco show at one of the restaurants, did you see it? And did you eat at Mamma Mia or La Hacienda...which do you think is better? I was thinking of having one of those as my rehearsal dinner if I do a private gala dinner. Thanks again Suzy for taking the time to answer my questions, you rock!

Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 Hey Liz, You will have a blast!! We did not do a first dance. But we did see a lot of people go to the courtyard bar for their dance and it was really nice, and really packed with people!! The courtyard is a popular place to be at night, it's where the live shows happen nightly...and there is usually live music nightly too - the lobby doesn't have music so there wouldn't be anywhere to dance. I think the gala dinner would be really nice, and you would have the whole room to yourself, so you could do speeches and dancing, whatever you want - just check to make sure that you don't have to pay for drinks to be set up, I don't think there's a bar there and from what I understood you have to pay a per person drink charge that adds $$'s to your dinner. Then there is always the beach party too, if you wanted to pay for the private option...but that's expensive, $85 per person with a 40 person minimum...I know this may sound really stupid, but is there any way you might be able to change your wedding day to Thurs? have you sent out invites etc...It might be worth seeing if you can change things and see if the Thai Beach is avail for the Thurs - just a thought... I don't think I helped your decision any, but if you have any questions or need any more info just let me know. Suzy ) Hi Suzy,funny that you mention changing the dates because I've been considering doing just that!! Even though we've already sent out our invites but I couldn't do it on thursday since a lot of people are getting there on thursday and I think saturday was already booked which is why we went with friday i think...but it wouldn't hurt to ask my wedding coordinator, maybe it's available! Good point about the drinks for the gala dinner, I assumed they were included, I should def double check!! Thanks again Suzy for taking the time to answer my questions, you rock!

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 Hi Liz.....(did you get the other pics that I sent you?) I brought my own photographer from home, she's a friend of mine and we are still waiting on the pics, if you remind me in a few weeks I can send them through. But picture a outdoor restaurant, all dark wood with thatched roof tops......large luminary type lights (that were turquoiseish) on the ground, tikki torches everwhere, right on the beach - beautiful beds and lounge chairs.....very pretty. As for the music, we had an ipod all loaded up and read to go and when we got to the Thai Beach Club there was a dj already there that we didn't pay for! I even told Patricia that I didn't want one when she put it on my original contract. So I can't even be sure of the layout of outlets but I know they must have them cause what would the dj have used? No real need for a dance floor......since you're at a restaurant that has floor. Hope that helps...let me know if you have any other questions Jill Thank you so much for the info Jill, that's awesome that they gave you a free DJ. I read someone else got the same thing, mayb they make exceptions for people who get the private dinner. It's too bad they won't do it for 20 people only, my wedding coordinator said the private thai beach reception is not a possibility if you have less than 40 Maybe I'll get lucky and there will be no other weddings that day and they'll consider it So did you bring your own ipod station but you obviously didn't have to use it. I wasn't sure if the restaurant had enough room for dancing. Probably only enough room for the groom & bride to do the first dance I take it? Or is there enough room for the entire wedding party? Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions! Liz

Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 pm me your email address and I'll send you everything I have... jcruzin76!! Glad to see some pics up ;o) You look amazing!!! Jamaica looks beautiful, I love the wedding gazebo, or what I can see of it! Hi Suzy, congrats and awesome review, definitely puts my fears at rest (I'm getting married there on 11/26/10). Unfortunately for me, the semi-private option for the thai beach club is not an option because it's closed on fridays I was wondering, did you end up doing a first dance, and if so where? Did you go to the lobby and would you reommend doing it that way? I'm entertaining the idea of getting the private gala dinner so this way i can do a first dance there etc...but it definitely doesn't look as nice as the thai beach club more of a conference room look Any suggestions based on your stay there? Thanks! Liz.

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 We just got back from GSP early Sunday morning and what an AMAZING time we had. It was my total dream wedding come true. We went for a total of 10 days - WED to WED for my guests and an extra 3 for us. My guests all pretty much paid for jr suites, but all got upgraded to jr deluxe for free. We paid for the same but had also paid for the change to a Laguna Villa the day of our wedding - which they gave to us a day early. I absolutly loved this upgrade, we both did. The room was beautiful, private pool with beds, bar, concierge etc. However not so sure we would have taken full advantage of it if our guests had still been there. We also went with the Private Thai Beach for our reception.....another great choice. Although it is pricey and I was back and forth on it right up until the end. I am so glad we did it, what beautiful spot......totally worth it! Please let me know if you have any questions Hey congratulations!! Glad to hear you were happy with your wedding!! Would you mind sending me pics? Who did you use for the photography? Where did you do your first dance? Did you get a dance floor? Did you get DJ or did you bring your own music? Is there outdoor outlets at the thai beach club? Looking forward to seeing how it all looks! My email is [email protected]. Thanks in advance! Liz

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 I sent you some pics It is a lot of $$$$$ especially considering that you're at an all inclusive. But for me in the end the way I looked at it was that it was my wedding day and I'm not going to Mexico to have my reception in a la carte restaurant. In the end I'm sooo glad I'm going prvate as I have heard that the resort is going to be busy. I did consider the beach reception, but my finace wasn't so hot on the idea of having sand everywhere. Also I decided to cut back and have a renewal of vows ceremony and am only paying 1/2 price for kids and empty seats since I only have 35 people total coming. Hi, I didn't get your pics would you mind sending them to [email protected] instead? maybe they got blocked. Thanks a bunch! And congrats on your wedding, looks like it's today!!! CONGRATS! That's the other situation I have is I'm only going to have about 20 people..and right now it's looking like it might be even less...so I don't think I have the private wedding reception option. I decided to do the same thing with the getting renowal of the vows since it's a lot less...and it's probably easier and I won't have to worry about get blood tests done..finding my birth certificate..etc...

Quote: Originally Posted by Pelican10 It is a bit pricey for the beach wedding right in the sand if you rent all the extras. I just wasn't sure how private the beach would be. The gazebo looks really nice and seems to be a bit more private. Then again I don't know...decisions. And yes the on site photographer is pricey. I have been looking at Moments that Matter Photography, very nice work and pretty good pricing for what you get. I was last quoted 4 hours for $2000 and you get all the pictures. Has anyone received pictures of the wedding cakes they make at the resort? Hi ladies... i've been researching photographers for a while. MTM photography def looks nice but I think they're pricey...So here's what I have found out so far, figured I'd share the wealth : www.fineartstudiomexico.com....they also charge $2k..but it includes 2 photographers for 8 hours & 3 hour TTD session included....you get all pics (over 1,000)...catch is...they require a 50% deposit upfront...that's the only reason I'm not going with them.... other options I''m looking at: www.octaviomontes.com....he is the cheapest I have found so far $1399 for 8 hours, 180 edited prints plus DVD with all pics....only 1 photographer though (people say sometimes it's better to have 2 so they can catch different angles). Another option: www.luckiephotography.com....$1500 UNLIMITED time..2 photographers....although I find that it looks like 1 of the photographers is really good but the 2nd one doesn't seem to have a good idea of composition.... Enjoy!

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 Yes they do, same menu as the beach reception but it's $100/pp Hi ladies. That is what I was quoted too...I didn't get the $45/person option because they said it's closed on fridays and my wedding is on a friday darn! I've seen some pics on photographer sites of the thai beach club reception...and it looks super nice.... You can see examples here: momentsthatmatterphotography.com/gallerylist.htm

Quote: Originally Posted by sasse75 Hi Margret, I believe the price you were quoted was for the semi private option at the Thai Beach Club, I think you have your choice of beef or fish? As for deciding which to do, thats a personal one since it has a fairly large price tag attached to it. We have decided on Thai Beach Club but as a private reception (after much back and forth) and can send you some pics if you pm me your email address Hi, I'm getting married there in November of this year. I'd appreciate it if you could send me pics as well. I was thinking of doing the private reception at the thai beach club but they quoted me a $100/per person price tag (becaue apparently the thai beach club is closed on fridays and that's the day of my wedding)!! Seems crazy! Were you charged the same thing? My email is [email protected] ...thanks a bunch!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by annieanddaryl Same here - any photos would be appreciated - [email protected] Ditto! Could you email me recommendations (what you would have done different, what you are glad you chose) and pics, that would be awesome! I'm getting married here on 11/26/10!! I picked Mamma Mia and was wondering if anyone who got married picked that restaurant and were they happy with it? and how did it look? Also did you book an mexican photographer? Thanks Liz

Quote: Originally Posted by tinaczar Hey everyone!! Just wanted to give you a rundown on the wedding - absolutely wonderful!! I was worried beforehand with some of the negative reviews on the resort itself, but we had no problems and our group of 27 had a wonderful time! Diana was our coordinator (Sunset side) and was so helpful! We got married at the gazebo, and the standard decorations were gorgeous with the flowers and white tulling. All the bouquets were gorgeous and I was able to change the colour ribbon for each of the bouquets since all the bridesmaids were a different colour! They have a CD player and speakers for when you walk down the aisle which is loud enough for everyone to hear. As well there is a microphone that is used during the ceremony so all the guests can hear! After the ceremony we had dinner at La Hacienda (Mexican) and the food was wonderful and the staff did an excellent job -it couldn't have been better! The sunset lobby was so busy after dinner (8pm) that we decided that we didnt' want to do our dance in front of the couple hundred people in the area - a little shy perhaps After the dinner, we went up to the lobby bar where we pulled enough table and chairs together, and Anthony took care of us the whole night - a wonderful man! We also managed to do a bouquet toss there an everyone had a wonderful time. Originally, we had booked the private reception, but decided against it in the end - and we're glad we did - we had just as much fun on our own! The wedding ended up being $870USD (we paid $10/pp extra for the dinner over 20ppl) Plus, it gets chilly at night and most of us moved into the Sports Bar and then Disco when the temps started to drop! Its totally personal preference though, and I am sure that the private reception would be beautiful as well! That's all I have - I have a few pics if anyone wants, I can email them of the gazebo, flowers, etc. No worries about your weddings everyone - its absolutely perfect and all taken care of when you get there! Quote: Originally Posted by courtney I asked the wedding coordinator during our meeting to set the table up in a "U" shape. They used the flowers from the gazebo. If you send me your email I'll email you a pic of the set up. We had to choose a set menu. The food was amazing, we had the beef with chocolate soulle. Which is steak with chocolate souffle. The egg foie gras for an appetizer, pumpkin soup and petit fours for dessert. They were all really good. I booked a hair appointment when I got down there but I wasn't there at a busy time. I know Damarys likes to book it a week before you arrive. I didn't have a trial just took pics of exactly what I wanted. She did a really good job. She doesn't speak english well so definitely take pics. Hi Courtney! I am getting married at the Grand Sunset on 11/26/10, and I would love any pics that you could share of the restaurant & the first dance location. Who did you use for the photographer? Also, did you do a vow renewal pakage or the civil ceremony? I'm debating on this. It sounds like a renewal vow package is much less expensive! My email is [email protected]. Thanks!!

Hi, Welcome. I am new too!! I am getting married on November 26, 2010 at the Grand Sunset Princess. I can't wait to get more information from members on this wonderful forum! I think this is the best thing yet, you get to hear directly from people who exprience their weddings at your chosen location, what better information can there be! Thanks Liz