LJMedic

So 4 days before we leave for the wedding Cecelai sends me an email to tell me my reception restaraunt needs maintenance so we cant have our dinner there but we can have one of the buffet restaraunts...the steak house or cajun. Any suggestions ladies which to pick. So disappointed but going to try and make best of it;)

Well ladies...I leave in 5 days for my big event. I have barely had time to come on here. I will be arriving May 20th and wedding will be May 24th. Anyone going to be there same time? 

Hi Prometida,

                       My TA has been a god sent, when I send an emial to the WC and i dont get a timely response she emails them and I get a response very quickly. Seems they take emails from TA's more seriously because they know they may not recommend the resort to future brides if they disappoint. Sorry for your troubles, hope it all works out. I will be there less than 5 weeks, so crazy;)
 

Originally Posted by Prometida 

Hi everyone
I'm looking for some support and advice.
I'm feeling super frustrated with the Grand Sirenis.
My wedding is in a month and the communication with the hotel in general had been very challenging. Regarding the WC 's I feel less helpless because in this forum at the end of the day the comments are positive and everything is great during the big day. However, my current frustration is with the reservation department . Tayro Cortes is our reservation person, it takes him a lot of time to answer emails, follow up with reservations and giving accurate and efficient service. Many of my guests contacted us asking about this situation and after my intervention Tayro follows up with them, but it has been exhausting for us.
For all of you that are reserving with a TA , I think is the best way to go,
My hope is that somebody in this forum that made reservations directly with the hotel can let me know how did you manage this situation?. Should I contact the general manager?. Aracely, Elizabeth , Tayro's boss and account department are aware of this issue and I haven't feel that somebody really found a solution.
I really appreciate your comments and advise. I feel very embarrased with my guests.
I'm aware that I'm also getting nervous because I have 1 month to go, but my advice for all of you that are planning to get married here is to get a travel agent that solve the problems for you and your party.
I will let you know about my experience in a month of so after my wedding !
Thank you

Thanks MJKH,

                            I knew they had to wear sleeved shirts and long pants and I just couldnt recall if the shoes had to be closed toes, thanks for the link. All our wedding party men are earing leather dressy flip flops so I am sure that will be fine;) Looking forward to hear how youe wedding and trip went, congrats again.

LJ

Originally Posted by MJKH 

Yes, for the women pretty much anything goes except beachwear.  We certainly saw men turned away who were wearing shorts and capris.  If you join this FB group, I posted exactly what it says on the reservation slips for the a la cartes while we were staying there.  Sandals are fine for men.  If I recall correctly, it also says no sleeveless shirts for men.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5987048236/

 

 

Was wondering if you where told what exactly the dress code is for the A la Carte's, it states dress code but doesnt list details of what this requires. Thanks;)

Thanks so much for the info and picture, Im getting so excited to go back there. Cant wait to hear all about your wedding;)

Ya my 90 year old grandmother is coming as well and we cant wait to put her in the lazy river, will be an event to video tape. Too bad no more double tubes Chris and I loved floating togther. # months now cant wait;)

Loved your photos, you look so happy, congrats. I have heard some chatter that they no longer provide tubes to float down lazy river and they did provide them when we went there in 2010. Do you recall if they still provide them;)
 

Originally Posted by denita 

Oh the only thing I really regret is we totally forgot to take off our wrist bands until AFTER the ceremony.  So we have lovely blue bands on I had mine turned to white at least but still ..

Hi,

       We have choosen an air transat package as well because for our group it is better priced than the hotel packages. Speak to your travel agent, she is who booked our package. To choose an air transat pacakage you have to have 12 passenegrs flying with Airtransat leaving and coming back on same day from same airport so you need to look into that. Hope this helps;)

 

Originally Posted by Prometida 

Hi,

I'm getting concerned and thinking that we might made a bad decision. We took the package from the hotel and I keep reading that you guys got the Air transat package and it is a much better deal, could some of you send me the contact info so I can see if I can fix some of it ( for the air transat). Also can you share what are you doing with the rooms for your guests. Are they using the hotel rates or  are they are using other rates?.

I will reallly really appreciate guidance.

Thanks

Hi Everyone,

                        My wedding is in less than 5 months and can't wait to do all the final stuff they let yuo do 3 months before the wedding. Was wondering if anyone had any experience with requesting an english speaking judge or had one. As well for the ladies who have been married there already did they do a run through or rehersal of the wedding. I have 2 little flower girls and I am hoping to show them what they will have to do. Did anyone order and favors from the hotel can't decide what to bring as favors and not sure we have room in luggage to bring anything. Thanks ladies;)

Hi,

          I have been to this resort before and I am getting married there in May. Its difficult when you read reviews because often its people from other resorts writting bad reviews to put down the competition and other people can only focus on the negative things. Its best to do what you are doing and ask people who have been there. We where very happy with the resort, service and wedding locations. We loved it so much it was our first choice to get married at. It is a huge place with lots to do and so many choices for food. Hope this helps;)

So bit of a change of plans, the weddding date they gave us did not allow us the 3 business days we needed for a legal marriage, so we know are going may 20th, to be married May 24th. Invites are out and now I can relax for a bit. No just to decide on a wedding package and find some bridesmaid dresses. Thanks for all your input ladies, cant wait to hear about all your weddings!!!!!

Fellow Brides,

                       I read back through all the threads again and saw some comments that maybe the transat package wasnt as good because the wedding decorations and cake, flower choices arent as nice and that alot of extra charges pop up. For anyone whom used a transat package where you happy with it. I am hoping to rent the palapa so I am trying to cut costs by choosing a less expensive package but dont want to left disappionted if I dont go with hotel package. The Bliss package is $800 and cover s reception a la cart for 24 people compared to the hotels 10 but we will have to pay for judge. Would love any input;)

Lindsay

So excited. Finally heard back from the resort and I am booked to be married on May 9th. Looking over the packages and now just have to choose between resort packages and Air Transat pacakages. Any brides used the Transat packages. They dont cover legal fees but allow 24 guest at reception dinner with no charge and resort charges aften ten. Love to hear any input;)

Ladies looking for information on documentation required for legal wedding in Mexico. I have been told 3 different things and would LOVE clarification. Do we require passports and long form birth certificate and does birth certificate have to be translated into Spanish. The blood tests cost approx $180 US, is this correct?

Kelly,

          Did you happen to get any dates that are still available in May for weddings when the WC emailed you, Im still waiting to hear, thanks;)
 

Originally Posted by Kelly Olson 

 

I only have the pricing from the wedding Co-ordinator and stuff provided by other people on this site.  I can e-mail it to you if you want to pm me your e-mail address.  I haven't booked our date or put down deposits yet as i'm getting screwed by our travel agent.  She has increased the prices per person by $300!  Blowing my guest's budgets out of the water.  So now I have to start all over, might have to change resorts.  Hoping a different ta can get me my original quoted price.  Something you should check into is they just issued the new pricing for 2012 which is a lot higher then last year, see if they will honor last years pricing.  Thats what i'm going to do if I stick with this resort, but might be changing to Grand Sunset Princess.

 

 

Havent recieved a response from the hotel yet, my TA is working on it. I really want to get my invites out as May is so close for a DW so I am hoping to get things booked and a wedding date reserved. We are checking on dates for May 5 and 12th arrivals. Good luck;)
 

Originally Posted by Kelly Olson 

Have you had any one reply to you with a quote etc?  I am in the same situation.  Trying to plan our wedding for first week of May 2012.

Hi Canada Bride,

                          Thanks so much for the great review and taking the time to write it. Was the palapa part of your package or was an extra. If so would you mind offering information on price of palpapa and the details of what you get, meal, amount of time, bar, dj ect?

Originally Posted by CanadaBride2011 

My husband and I also got married at the Grand Sirenis over the summer. We chose the presidential package but made that decision too late to actually get the proper suite. Instead, they gave us a fantastic room that was the same size as the normal ones but with much nicer amenities and decor. They set up the bar and computer in the room and we had all of the extras that usually come with the presidential package, so it wasn't a problem at all.

 

As many have mentioned, it can be a bit tough to get email answers. I was finding this a bit frustrating, but once we arrived and met with Araceli everything was fine. We met the morning after our arrival and covered all of the possible options, made the decisions, signed some forms, and were done within an hour or so. One of the other wedding coordinators actually came to meet us on arrival and took my wedding dress to have it pressed right away, which was great. It was delivered to my room a day or two later in perfect shape, and it only cost 25 dollars or so (added to our room bill). At our meeting with Araceli, we set up a time for the rehearsal the day before the wedding. The rehearsal was a bit of a joke; we went out to the ceremony site - the beach in front of the palapa - and Araceli showed us where we would walk out, then said she didn't know yet whether the ceremony would be in English or Spanish, translated to English, and wouldn't know until the judge arrived the next day. This wasn't an issue for us, but might be something to request ahead of time if possible. Following that, she showed us the palapa, then took us back to the main resort. We decided then to change the reception time to 5:00 PM instead of 6:00, since there wouldn't be much for the guests to do between the 4:00 PM ceremony and the start of the reception. This worked out fine, as we had some time in the palapa for drinks before dinner actually started so it didn't feel too early.

 

The morning of the wedding, all the women did the water circuit, which was hysterical. I don't think any of us have laughed that hard in years - some of the jets are in a bit of weird spot, so prepare yourself! After that, my MOH and I went for hair and makeup at the spa. It took quite a while, as there's only one woman who does it, but she did a lovely job and we were both quite happy once we made some tiny adjustments ourselves. Araceli came to pick us up for the ceremony once we finished up and the photographer had taken a few getting-ready shots, and everything went really smoothly from there. The ceremony site was perfectly decorated, the ceremony went off without any trouble, and the reception was absolutely gorgeous. They do a fantastic job of setting everything up, and we were all thrilled. In retrospect, we should have paid for an extra hour at the palapa, as we had to wrap up around 10 and the disco was pretty much empty still at that point. We ended up leaving there and heading to the lobby bar for some drinks and having a great time anyway. The marriage certificate was dropped off in our room a day after the wedding.

 

One thing future brides should consider is hiring an external photographer. We hired Sascha Gluck (cancunphotos.net) for two hours and were incredibly happy that we did, especially once we saw the quality of the resort photographer's work. He had taken around 100 shots, and we were able to choose 10 as part of the wedding package. Narrowing it down was NOT a hard job, unfortunately. He did get a few photos worth keeping, but I would have been devastated if that was all we had. Sascha, on the other hand, did fantastic work and actually worked out to be cheaper than buying the resort photographer's basic package.

 

The resort itself was great. We all had a great time, and I would go back to the Grand Sirenis in a heartbeat. I found the BDW thread to be a great resource when I was planning, so I thought I should chip in here. Feel free to message me with questions.

Hi Kelly,

              I have requested wedding date availablitity for May 2012 as well. My FI and I went to this resort last November and fell in love with it. We had an amzing time and can't wait to take our family and friends there and share it with everyone. I as well would love any information on package pricing and reception options. Good luck;)
 

Originally Posted by Kelly Olson 

Hi ladies,  I also am looking at this resort for our wedding end of April early May 2011.  I found a great review on Trip Advisor http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g499445-d599193-r79801266-Grand_Sirenis_Riviera_Maya-Akumal_Yucatan_Peninsula.html   That maybe helpful.  Any other information that you have obtained on this resort and wedding packages I would greatly appreciate you passing on to me   I received a great quote for the resort side of things but have not heard back from the hotel yet for the wedding package pricing.  Kileelain, when is your big day?  Would be awesome to keep in touch with you and maybe exchange notes etc?

Hi Jodiann,

                   I have picked this resort as well by my travel agent won't book our trip there until she gets confirmation back that a wedding date is available. I am there right with you with the nervousness. Im asking people to spend alot of money to come on this trip and am worried about  my decision now. I as well want to thank all the girls for thier posts and stories. Does anyone have any information on how difficult it was to get them to reserve you a wedding date, how long I will be waiting to hear back.
 

Originally Posted by Jodiann 

Hi ladies! I am new to the site and I am also getting married at the GBP, and now I am SOOOOO scared! All the good things sound great .. but the bad things sound horrible! Like roaches (OMG), and a rude wedding coordinator (Donnalee). It took me long enough to actually pick a resort. Being in charge of picking a place for all your family and friends to spend their vacation and their money on is a harsh reality to have on your shoulders. I mean its booked for us, and everyone knows this is where its going to be, so I guess now its just working with what we have. But I am def nervous now, not only about the resort but about everything.

 

Cupcake & Mrs. Johnson, you guys are amazing! The time you have taken to write everything you have for everyone is great, thank you so much! Also both of you looked GORGEOUS on your day, and the wedding itself looked amazing. And all of your pre-wedding planning with bags and decorations and everything else is such a big help. After seeing all of your posts from start to finish, I am nervous! I hope I can pull it off too!

Thanks ACW . . . I have asked for information from the hotel on their packages so just waiting for that. I have noticed alot of girls where talking about prices of flowers. Is that because the free boucette is not nice. As well with the free wedding package what cost have you come across that arent covered. I would love to hear how it goes with the photographer, were not sure if we can afford to hire a photographer but alot of the ladies have mentioned the resort photographer is not that great. Hope you getting excited anyways, thanks for your response;) 

 

Originally Posted by acw271011 

we're air transat too on oct 15th. we were a bit worried about hurricanes in the beginning so booked november, but have now changed to october and I don't care. we're alone - just 2 of us but I was told that hurricanes that late in the season don't generally hit jamaica. the air currents have changed by then so they normally miss jamaica after september. don't know if its true or not but hey - it means we get married inside instead. it would be cool to say we got married during or immediately after a hurricane!

 

I'm going with the other girls. go with a resort package instead of the transat packages. much better and includes more. well worth it. we're obviously taking the free one so we get a special dinner, cake and flowers and we have a jamaican photographer - what more could you want?

 

 

Thanks so much for sharing. I wish you a perfect day for your wedding and like you said maybe it will be a stormy day that you will be able to tell everyone about;) We are waiting to here back about the hotel packages available and we have requested a wedding date in May and just waiting back to hear if anything is available. Did it take a long time to get your wedding date booked? Thanks.

 

Originally Posted by acw271011 

we're air transat too on oct 15th. we were a bit worried about hurricanes in the beginning so booked november, but have now changed to october and I don't care. we're alone - just 2 of us but I was told that hurricanes that late in the season don't generally hit jamaica. the air currents have changed by then so they normally miss jamaica after september. don't know if its true or not but hey - it means we get married inside instead. it would be cool to say we got married during or immediately after a hurricane!

 

I'm going with the other girls. go with a resort package instead of the transat packages. much better and includes more. well worth it. we're obviously taking the free one so we get a special dinner, cake and flowers and we have a jamaican photographer - what more could you want?

 

 

Hi Ladies,

                Just joined the site. We have choosen the GBP resort and now have to decide when to get married. I would love any suggestions or experiences you have had with certain times of year. I have been warned away from Aug to Nov due to hurricane season. I see alot of brides are booked for Sept Oct weddings so I am wondering if there really is reason to worry. We will be booking airtransat and have the 3 wedding packages to choose from, any information on your experiences with these would be great as well. Thanks

LJ