yeemein

Aquamaniac, honestly do not worry about the rain. A week before our departure I was checking the weather in Playa del Carmen like crazy, like 5x a day! Weather Network kept saying for the day of our wedding (May 3) there would be a chance of thundershowers (1-3mm) and even for the days before the wedding. But we were there for 14 days and we had ZERO precipitation, it was sunny & HOT all the days we were there and on our wedding day it was the hottest day of the week at 41°C (105F). We actually prayed for some clouds to give us some better photos but it was sunny with blue skies. Plus there is a saying that rain on your wedding day brings the couple good luck I hope this helps calm you.

Sunshine2680, I also have a friend that married in Riviera Maya and they were legally married in Canada 10 days before departure, and they were ok.

Sunshine2680, we were legally married in Canada about 1 month prior to departure. Our friend/minister who happens to be a lawyer as well married us and he said to be on the safe side, 1 month prior for all the paperwork to be filed. About 10 days after we received a notice from the Government of Quebec stating we are legally married as of Mar 24. I hope this helps.

Thanks Sharon99 - we are wedding day twins! How was your day?

Thanks Fraggle! =) Good luck on your planning!! We met many people from the UK during our 2 week stay.

Hello ladies! We're back from our vacation of a lifetime! It was the best experience we could every imagine – my review http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/786/gran-bahia-principe-akumal-tulum-coba-post-here/5770#post_1769459

https://picasaweb.google.com/yeemein/TodayWasAFairyTale?authuser=0&feat=directlink - here are the pictures from the Arrecife Studio.

We have more pictures, but waiting to get them from our other photographer. We did TTD pictures at a local public beach close to Tulum Ruins. I don't like to brag, but I think those are going to be gorgeous.

BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES...to-date.

Hello ladies! We're back from our vacation of a lifetime! It was the best experience we could every imagine - if you're getting married at Gran Bahia Principe Resorts in Riviera Maya, MX go to the main thread and you'll see my review.

https://picasaweb.google.com/yeemein/TodayWasAFairyTale?authuser=0&feat=directlink - here are the pictures from the Arrecife Studio.

We have more pictures, but waiting to get them from our other photographer. We did TTD pictures at a local public beach close to Tulum Ruins. I don't like to brag, but I think those are going to be gorgeous.

BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES...to-date.

Hello ladies! We're back from our vacation of a lifetime! It was the best experience we could every imagine - if you're getting married at Gran Bahia Principe Resorts in Riviera Maya, MX go to the main thread and you'll see my review.

https://picasaweb.google.com/yeemein/TodayWasAFairyTale?authuser=0&feat=directlink - here are the pictures from the Arrecife Studio.

We have more pictures, but waiting to get them from our other photographer. We did TTD pictures at a local public beach close to Tulum Ruins. I don't like to brag, but I think those are going to be gorgeous.

BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES...to-date.

I'm procrastinating at work...so here's my review...sorry it's long.

Getting there/Check-in/Rooms

We had 2 groups with different departure dates. The group from Montreal/Quebec City departed from Montreal on Apr 28 and the group from Vancouver departed on Apr 29. We booked with AirTransat/Nolitours (if you live in Montreal area and need a good travel agent, I can recommend mine. She’s great!) We departed from Montreal with 17 other people and the airport experience was smooth from YUL to CUN. Although we think the CUN airport could stand to be a bit more organized at the Declaration area. After we all received our bags, we headed for the exit and instantly saw a crowd of people offering transfers. Luckily we found an AirTransat/Nolitours representative right away and were escorted to our bus accordingly. There were a few stops along the way to Gran Bahia Principe Resorts, but it only took 1hr20mins. The check-in process was smooth also, we were welcomed with the welcome beverage and most of the rooms for our guests were ready. We arrived at the resort around 2pm local time. We stayed in villa 26A room 32617. It’s a bit far from Lobby Coba but we liked it because we were close to the quiet pool and further away from the Activity (loud) pool. If you paid for the Club Golden rooms, then you might be disappointed because the rooms are all the same size and during low season the Premier Lobby for that section is closed.

Meeting Maria

We met with Maria 2 days after we arrived to the resort. I was anxious, very anxious. She walked in with a big binder and started pulling out her notes and our email chains and begins filling out a piece of paper of wedding details. She basically went through everything top to bottom, confirming all the services we had committed to. It was good to meet with Maria to confirm details, I felt much more relaxed afterwards. So to all the future brides…DO NOT FREAK OUT. They do this every day and sometimes twice a day, all will be PERFECT!

Getting Ready

*I didn’t use the resort spa, so this party might not be informational for you.* Me, being semi-traditional, I kindly asked my now husband to kindly find another room to sleep in the night before our wedding day. And my husband, being the kind man he is, obliged with no fuss. My best friend/maid of honour spent the night with me and she is the reason I remained so calm on the day of our wedding. We went for breakfast at the main buffet and made sure that we would not run into my husband. After breakfast we went back to my room to slowly get ready. I really took my time and relaxed, took in every moment and focused on not stressing. I am lucky that my friend/hairdresser travelled with me and therefore made me feel and look as pretty as I possibly could be. She arrived in my room around noon and began working on my hair. She is super fast and by 1:15 my hair and makeup was completely done and the ceremony wasn’t until 4pm. More time for relaxing! The flowers were delivered to my room by 1pm and appropriately distributed by the Best Man. I helped MoH get into her dress around 2pm and vice versa me at 2:30pm. At 3pm the videographer (Tony) came to film some pre-ceremony shots and also we pretended to exit the room to the ceremony location for filming purposes he couldn’t ride in the golf cart with us. My sister was also in the room at the time, taking pictures. She was our unofficial photographer for the day but also used the resort photographer for the ceremony. At 3:30 all the guests minus the ones with me were transported to the Akumal Hammocks location and a private golf cart picked us (me, MoH, Dad & sister) up at 3:50pm. Felt like the longest ride of my life….

Wedding Ceremony

We arrived to the location by 4pm and by 4:05pm I was walking down the aisle. It was surreal but I took the time to look at my now husband, our guests, our decorations (PERFECTLY placed) and my father. I was so happy to be reunited with my now husband, he was even more handsome than I thought he could be and he said the same about me. We chose the UNFORGETTABLE package, but a symbolic ceremony, as we were already married in Quebec before departing. Our friend, my now husband’s best friend, was the “ministerâ€. He said the words that I wrote perfectly and even translated a portion of it in French for my husband’s family/friends. The whole ceremony lasted 20mins and before we knew it we were toasting with our group.

Photo Session

Our guests enjoyed a cocktail party on the beach while we had our photo session with immediate family first and then friends. Like I said before my sister was our unofficial photographer but because it was so hot she had to sit out for a portion of the session and she let the pro’s handle the heat. It was HOT! Probably the hottest day of the 2 weeks we were there. Jorge was our photographer from Arrecife Studio. Our package included 15 pictures and at the end we chose an additional 32 pictures at $15usd each. Not cheap, but worth it! We love the photos from Arrecife Studio and if we had a bigger budget we would have gotten more.

Wedding Reception

Originally we had planned for our reception dinner at Portofino Restaurant (Italian) but for some reason it was closed so the dinner was moved to El Pescador but still with the same Italian menu. Dinner commenced at 6pm. We had 4 tables: 1 – 6 ppl (head table), 2 – 8 ppl, & 1 – 7 ppl. We chose the Italian Appetizer, Milestone Soup, Chicken Gorgonzola or Salmon, and we opted for wedding cake for everyone instead of dessert but they gave BOTH! That was a nice surprise. For dessert we had Profiterole. For the wedding cake we chose 3 milks in the form of a tiered cake (2 layers) and it was DELICIOUS! My father made us a cake topper, a Chinese symbol meaning double happiness. The restaurant was private for us until 7:45pm. My only complaint was that the restaurant was too hot, even with ceiling fans and windows open.

Poolside After Party

The after party by the (Hibiscus) pool started at 8pm. We walked over from the restaurant because it was very close. I hired DJ Bijan from Mayan Vibes for 3 hours which cost $450CAD + $90USD day pass fee. It was well worth the price! DJ Bijan played all the right music and was able to make Quebecer’s that don’t dance, DANCE!!! It was such a good party. I brought Glowstick necklaces for everyone and it was a big hit. We did our first dance, MoH & BM speeches and bouquet toss half way through the dance party. We were lucky to be graced with the presence of a great performer (we think anyways). Our friend Simon preformed “Gangstas Paradise†and “Jump†as requested from the Bride & Groom. The crowd went nuts! All’s well that ends well. At the end, majorly of the men and some women jumped into the pool to cool off.

Wedding Coordinator

Maria and her team of helpers were fantastic. She was more available once we were in-resort, so do not fret future brides.

Photos & Video

Jorge and Tony were fantastic!!! Like I said before we ended up purchasing an additional 32 pictures and we went with the all day filming. It’s a lot of money, but well worth it. The video and photos comes in a very nice case with imaging on the CD/DVD. We’re very impressed with the results. We’ve watched our video about 5x since we returned on Saturday.

Other Restaurants

I’d just like to say that we tried all 3 main buffets and 6 of the 11 à la carte restaurants and by far our favorite is the main buffet at Coba, Kukulkan. Maybe we’re bias because we stayed in Coba but we think it’s the best buffet. It had very good selection of cuisines and we never got sick from any of the foods.

Random Thoughts

Loved Coba beach!!!! You can do water aerobics at noon or learn salsa on the pier.

Coco Bongo in Playa del Carmen is sick! If you like to party, then you need to experience this at least once. And all for the all-inclusive ticket, you’ll be treated like GOLD inside.

We went to Xel-Ha! It was fun to snorkel with the fishes, float down a river and just relax in a different location. You can buy a package that includes transportation but it’s literally 5 mins from the resort so we opted for the collectivo and paid $10 each way for 2 persons.

Sorry for the long review. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions.

Here’s a link for my photos by Arrecife Studio - https://picasaweb.google.com/yeemein/TodayWasAFairyTale?authuser=0&feat=directlink

I get my eyebrows threaded every 4 weeks usually. Letting them grow is so painfull (not literally)...I'm always tempted to pluck. It's best if you have bangs, at least one side can be hidden.

Hi all, we're back from paradise and reality is harsh!! 14 days of sunshine, very few clouds and zero rain! It was a vacation of a lifetime and our wedding day was the best day of our lives...to-date. So much love and laughter, it just overwhelmed us and we felt so blessed!

I will be writing a review in a few days and posting some pictures. I'm not in the midst of packing up our house and moving to Qc City so bare with me.

Mrs. Susan Yee-Roy

CONGRATS! I was originally going to choose that resort but we changed our minds and went with GBP. But we are still wedding day TWINS! Good luck and best wishes!!

Originally Posted by Caroleannc 

We are getting married on May 3rd at Beach Palace in Cancun; we fly out tomorrow.
I plan to carry my dress on the plane; Westjet said the would have some where to hang it.
Congratulations & best wishes to all the May brides!!

These are the best diet/protein shakes I've ever tried. I've been drinking them since January 2012 and lost about 5 lbs of fat. I only have them in the morning, replaced my breakfast. I do get hungry around 2 hours after I drink the shake but also depends what I put in the shake. If I add a banana then I stay fuller longer. Normally I will have 2 scoops with a spoon full of green yogurt (plain), a few ice cubes, 1/2 banana, and tropical blend of juice. I blend it up in my magic bullet and enjoy. I didn't have much to loose, mainly I wanted to maintain my weight before the wedding, and it definitely helped me do that. I also train a lot so it helped rebuild my muscles. This is a great product and I probably will continue to use it after my wedding. My FI uses it also and he's lost probably 5-8lbs of belly fat! Quite the improvement!

Threading is amazing! I have been getting my eyebrows threaded for the last 7 years and never paid more than $6 in Vancouver or $4 in Montreal. It can be painful sometimes but its quick - or at least it should be. Waxing can cause ingrown hairs and also over time since waxing pulls on your skin, some say it can cause more wrinkles when you're older (or skin sag). If threading is available where you live, I highly recommend you at least try it to see if you like it.

Hi ladies! I love photo books! I'm not into scrapbooking, purely because I have no patience for cutting, pasting, sticking etc...I'm more of a tech geek so that why creating a photo book and having it printed works for me! We like http://www.picaboo.com/ you can usually find groupons for them or google picaboo coupons and you should find a link with offer codes for 50% off or buy 1 get 2nd (smaller) free. http://www.dealigg.com/story-Picaboo-Coupons-Picaboo-Coupon-Code-2

If the book you get has any smudges or other marks, simply take a picture as proof and they send you a new one and the original with defect you can keep or toss.

Happy photo booking!!!

Congrats Arriba 2012!!

I'm departing in 2 days...and I cannot sleep..........

I'm getting married on May 3rd, 2012 at Gran Bahia Principe!!!! Originally from Vancouver, moved to Montreal 2 years ago to be with FI and soon after our wedding we'll be moving to Quebec City!! What an adventure so far. =) Good luck and CONGRATS to all the MAY Canadian Brides!! WOOT WOOT!!!!!

Originally Posted by TheWolferts 

I was thinking of doing something very similar to this style, but with a little bit different bun, so it doesnt quite look like a birds nest LOL I thought it was very original looking and looked not so coiffed, very beachy romantic.

 

Oh this is nice. I want to incorporate a braid into my updo as well but my FI told me he doesn't want me to have a braid on our wedding day. Should I listen to him? Braids are pretty!!! and very romantic. But I think he thinks they are kid-like. =(

hi ladies, i'm departing in 3 days for riviera maya (gran bahia principe) and i'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my hair. i know it will be super windy so definitely will have all my hair up. i have long dark brown hair, asian texture, very silky...which means very difficult to style. thank god my trusted hairdresser will be coming to the wedding. does anyone have any pictures to share for low-bun do's or side-low-bun do's?

i have a few, to give you ideas of what i mean. Thx!

oh nice!!! We'll both be doing the no-rain dance. 60%?! OMG I did not know this...it must change! PLEASE CHANGE!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Sharon99 

Date twins!! Yay Congrats! I have been checking the weather everyday. Still says 60% showers all day

 

 

I think I will try to fold my dress over my arm too. Just realized the resort steams the dress for free so I guess I shouldnt worry too much about it. Definitely not throwing it in luggage. As TheWolferts said, you cant go without your dress! My luck they would lose it...

 

 

 

oh can you please add me to the bridal roll call?

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May 3, 2012

Akumal Beach location

staying Apr 28-May12 (yes!! 2 weeks in heaven)

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Thanks!

OMG how did I not find this thread before? =) It's amazing! Even though I am departing in 3 days (wedding in 8 days), I still found all the information/pictures/reviews very helpful. I have a clear idea of what my wedding day will be like. Congrats to all the brides before and after me. =) I'm hoping for great weather!

Hi all!! I haven't posted here yet but I just want to say in advance...CONGRATULATIONS to all the May 2012 brides!!! We will be married on May 3rd, 2012 at Gran Bahia Principe Coba on Akumal Beach. Let's all pray that we don't get rain on our wedding day. Can I count on you ladies to do a "no-rain" dance for us? =) xx

Originally Posted by Janet Ryan 

OK... so I just have to say how excited I am getting. Less than two weeks before we leave!! (Just had to say that  )

 

Awesome!!! Wait til you're a few days away...you'll be running on adrenaline =)

THREE days from departure!!! Thanks to all the ladies here for assisting with issues/problems/questions. Without this forum I'm sure I would be more stressed at this moment, but I am feeling relaxed and confident. Safe travels to the other couples travelling soon, maybe we'll cross paths in the resort. I'll post a review upon my return. =) EIGHT days from Wedding day!!!