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Hi Lianna, I am from Winnipeg but I worked with a girl named Alexis from a company called Travel Best Bets which is based out of Vancouver. She was excellent! Great customer services and I was really pleased with the prices she got for us. Most of my guests are flying out of Calgary and Edmonton and they found booking with her very easy. I haven't found it to be a problem not having her in the same location as me and dealing were over the phone and through email. The nice thing about Travel Best Beta that worked well for me is they were able to get me a group rate without having to have all my guests fly out of one gateway. They combined all my guests flying out of multiple gateways to secure the group rate which was perfect for me because I am having a smaller wedding. I would highly recommend them. Kathy

Boy, I had a lot of catching up to do! Clair0701- congratulations! your pictures are gorgeous! You look stunning and I LOVE your bridesmaid dresses. Such wonderful memories! Mytye2b- That is a lot of packing! I am trying to picture all the luggage carts you will require at the airport. You are so creative and have thought of everything. Your wedding is going to be amazing. Best wishes! Carlota- I am so sorry I missed you before you left. I am thinking of you and I am sure your wedding will be wonderful! I hope that you enjoy your trip and your wedding is all you hoped for. Kathy

BridetobeABCD and TaraB - sorry for the delay in responding. I haven't been on the site in a while. It is great to hear that your plans are well underway. January will be here before you know it! After all my thoughts on the Barcelo and Iberostar, we ended up booking at the Grand Palladium Colonial. Our date is February 5, 2014...less than 6 months away! There will be 23 of us in total going to Mexico which is wonderful. As of right now, we have pretty much all the major things purchased and booked. We are just working on the smaller details like getting formal invitations so everyone knows the time of the wedding, dinner etc. We sent out a std in April and all our guests booked based on that so we don't really need RSVPs now. We are also busy downloading music and creating playlists on our iPods as we have opted to use an iPod dock rather than hiring a dj. I have to get my dress fitted too, but still have time for that. Other than that, I think we have everything covered. At the end of the day, I decided that for my own sanity, simple was better and so I have opted not to worry about loads of decorations or oot bags. That has brought my stress level down significantly. The only thing I am contemplating is whether or not to purchase maracas and put our names and wedding date as a souvenir for our guests. The other option I have is to have the photographer take pictures of each family and then send each guest their family picture after the wedding in our thank you card. Not sure what to do yet. I am not sure about everyone else's experience, but the most difficult part for me was choosing the resort. Once that was done, everything else just seemed to fall into place. Good luck fellow brides! I am sure everything is going to be beautiful and amazing! Kathy

Mjones- I am from Winnipeg, but most of guests are flying out of Calgary. We at staying at the Colonial in February. Our rate all in p/p was $1667 out of Calgary. Hope this helps. Kathy

Welcome to the forum iamlizzygrace. We are getting married February 5, 2014, so we will be at the resort at the same time! We are staying at the Colonial and we too are having a 6 pm dinner at Portofinos. There is about 22 in our group and we decided to do the beach bash. Good luck with your planning! Kathy

Christena, Thank you so much for sharing your experience. You look stunning! I really enjoyed your pictures. You have some amazing shots already and this is only a sample. Congratulations! Kathy

Welcome Heather, welcome Amanda! I am getting married February 5, 2014. We have chosen to do a vow renewal instead of a legal ceremony and similar to others we will treat the wedding in Mexico as our real wedding date for anniversary purposes. We have told a few people we are getting legally married here. it doesn't seem to make a difference to most people, but I wish we had kept it a secret. We have chosen the Pure Paradise package as it had almost everything we wanted. I loved the decorations and Gerber daisies are my favorite. We also felt that for our purposes, it met everything we wanted and e price was right. We have also opted to to the beach bash. It sounds like a fun way to spend the evening and enjoy the surroundings for a destination wedding. Kathy

Thanks or the info and stories on the photographer. I have e-mailed the wc to see whether or not he policy has changed. HeatherLynn - they are ceremonies after 2:00. I just had my symbolic ceremony confirmed for 4:00 in February 2014. I wonder if it is just the day you were looking for or the type of wedding. I would definitely get your TA to ask.

Thanks Carlota. Excellent points. I have read wonderful things about Claudia Photo too. I look for the moments and emotions in pictures too. Kathy

Hi ladies, Does anyone know the outside vendor policy for photographers ath the GP? Also, does anyone have a sense of he package prices for the resort photographers? I have tried using the link to their website and I just get a blank screen. thanks, Kathy

Thanks brebuisson! I just got an e-mail yesterday so we have sent in the information to put down our deposit. February 5, 2014! We have our travel booked now to and just sent the travel info out to our guests. We just need to find a photographer now. I am finally feeling like I am top of things. Kathy

Hey 2014 brides! I am just curious whether anyone has received confirmation for their 2014 wedding date yet. I received an e-mail from Vanessa a couple of weeks ago saying my name was on a waiting list and that they would begin confirming 2014 dates in a couple of weeks. I am thinking they should be starting now, if they haven't begun already. I am anxiously awaiting confirmation as I have booked our travel and want to send out the details to our guests. Just curious as the waiting is killing me! Thanks!

Karen - congratulations! Thank you so much for the review and the pictures. You looked stunning!

Yes, I think the packages are pretty much set. I do believe there is one package option which allows you to choose your favorite elements from all the package so it is pretty close to customizing. The beach bash is going to be like my reception. I didn't want the evening to end at dinner so I am hoping to have the beach bash. The hotel sets up loung furniture, tiki torches and lanterns on the beach as well as a bonfire. You can hire a dj or just use your iPod to play music. The hotel also provides a bartender to serve drinks and snacks. It sound like fun and just extends the night a bit. I don't have a wedding date confirmed with the hotel yet, but I have asked for February 5, 6 or 7, 2014. When is your wedding?

Yes, I think the packages are pretty much set. I do believe there is one package option which allows you to choose your favorite elements from all the package so it is pretty close to customizing. The beach bash is going to be like my reception. I didn't want the evening to end at dinner so I am hoping to have the beach bash. The hotel sets up loung furniture, tiki torches and lanterns on the beach as well as a bonfire. You can hire a dj or just use your iPod to play music. The hotel also provides a bartender to serve drinks and snacks. It sound like fun and just extends the night a bit. I don't have a wedding date confirmed with the hotel yet, but I have asked for February 5, 6 or 7, 2014. When is your wedding?

Hi Heather, I was originally planning on having my wedding at a resort and then began to get frustrated with what the resort could offer and that it wasn't going to meet the needs of me or my guests. I went down the road of contacting a few wedding coordinators to see what the costs of a wedding off the resort site would be. I was planning on having approximately 20-25 people, 5 of which were children. I was looking at about $10,000 for a simple wedding. I would say close to 1/2 of that budget was for food and drink. At the end of the day, I have booked at the Grand Palladium Colonial as I liked the transparency of their new wedding packages and the beach bash option. I guess I wasn't as concerned about the privacy so this option works for me and is more budget friendly. Good luck!

Hi Heather, I was originally planning on having my wedding at a resort and then began to get frustrated with what the resort could offer and that it wasn't going to meet the needs of me or my guests. I went down the road of contacting a few wedding coordinators to see what the costs of a wedding off the resort site would be. I was planning on having approximately 20-25 people, 5 of which were children. I was looking at about $10,000 for a simple wedding. I would say close to 1/2 of that budget was for food and drink. At the end of the day, I have booked at the Grand Palladium Colonial as I liked the transparency of their new wedding packages and the beach bash option. I guess I wasn't as concerned about the privacy so this option works for me and is more budget friendly. Good luck!

@Bre - we are looking at booking the first week in February. I have asked for either the 5th,6th or 7th so I hope to find out in a couple of weeks when they begin booking the 2014 weddings. I think I know about the couple you are referring to. I saw their website and contemplated using them. We are contemplating waiting to get quotes and group rates until late summer in hopes that the prices will come down. We don't have a big group (around 25 of us in total)so i think it should be okay to wait I am a little worried about not getting the resort/rooms we want if we hold off too long. That is awesome that they created your website and everything for you. I may have to contact them when we get our quotes. @Carlota - it sounds like you got a great price for 7 nights. I am pretty sure our rates will be higher than that. When is your wedding?

Hi Bre- I am pretty sure the beach bash is available as I received an e-mail from Vanessa today saying that once our wedding date is confirmed, she will be able to book the beach bash. I noticed on one of the other forums that you said you are from a small town in Manitoba. I am from Winnipeg! I look forward to sharing info and hearing updates on how everyone's planning is coming along and the experiences of those who have returned. Has anyone looked into group rates for travel yet? Just curious as I am not sure how far ahead I should be doing that. I would interested in hearing what the rates look like for next year. I have people coming from a few cities so I hope I have enough out of one city to qualify. I think you need 10 adults from one gateway. Kathy

Hi Casey, Congratulations! I am new to this particular forum as well. I was previously considering having my wedding at the Bahia Principe, but have now settled on the GP. We are planning to get married in February next year. I too have my name on the waiting list. I was told they will start booking dates in about 2 weeks. I am not sure is that is for just February or further out. We are pretty certain we are doing the beach party. We have a fairly small group and it sounded like fun. I have asked in my e-mail to get on the waiting list the times for the beach party so I will let you know if i hear back. If there is a bonfire and dancing, I am sure it will be warm enough. All our guests are from Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, so even if it is a bit chilly, it will still beat the weather at home. I look forward to exchanging ideas and info as it seems we will be planning everything around the same time. Kathy

I am also considering the GBP for my wedding in February 2014. We have a mix of children and adults and this hotel seems to offer something for everyone. I did receive quotes and it was less than $100 more for the Royal Golden section at Akumal. I am certain we will book our stay there, although I also dislike the distance from Cancun airport. I was just in the process of looking at off-resort wedding venues to see if that would be an option that would be better for our group. I can't see my group enjoying a dance after dinner so I am worried the wedding will fall flat after dinner. Any suggestions? There will only be about 25 of us and the ages range from 6-66.

Hi ladies! I am back on after a bit of a break from thinking about the wedding. After doing more research on wedding packages offered by different resorts in the Mayan, we have chosen the Grand Bahia Principe Akumal. We are just waiting for 1 more quote on a group rate and then we will confirm our booking and get a date from the resort for our wedding. I am finding this process confusing and just want to know the date we are aiming for. All I know at this point is it will be sometime in the first week of February 2014. I am looking forward to getting this part of the process done so I can focus on other things. I look forward to following everyone's posts and journeys toward the big day.

I think we will end up booking through a TA or directly through the tour operator like Sunwing, but have not made any moves toward doing that yet. I did receive a quote for a group rate from Sunwing for for 2014 AI pricing at the Barcelo. It seems quite high so I want to talk to the rep about it. Mi do think that given it is a smaller wedding,mothers may be less of an advantage booking as a group and it may be more cost effective to let the guests book their own travel. I am not completely sure what to do. Are you any further along deciding on a resort or have you booked your research trip yet?

Congrats BridetobeABCD!! I am new to this forum and am planning a wedding in the Mayan in either January or February 2014. I have to say that right now everything seems pretty overwhelming and I am not even sure where to begin. While my wedding will be fairly small, I am in the process of trying to choose a resort. I want something that is nice but cost effective so my siblings and their children can attend. I am leaning towards the iberostar quetzal or the Barcelo Maya Beach right now. My fiancé and I just booked a holiday to the Barcelo for 2013 to see if we like the hotel and if we do, I think we may choose that as our resort for the wedding. What resorts are you considering? I found 2 really cool vendors for wedding invitations. Gottheinvite.com is an Alberta based company that makes a passport style wedding invitation. They look fun and because they have no minimum order requirements, is perfect for me. The other company is Winnipeg based and they also make really nice invitations for destination weddings. The website is empireinvites.ca they are reasonably priced, but require a minimum order so they are better for larger groups. I look forward to sharing and comparing as we plan our weddings!