Christen Jean

I haven't done my review yet because I'd like to include photos from my photographer for you, but haven't gotten them yet.  I will soon!

 

Yes, we were all there at 6pm and Sunset Grill sat us perfectly!  They have large round tables (almost like a wedding reception!) so our group took up about 5 tables.  It really worked out perfect and was free.  But you all need to be there ready to be sat, so it worked out really well that I had asked everyone to meet at the lobby bar in our welcome brochure.  The Sunset Grill is right next to it so we were all in line to sit for dinner while we were ordering our drinks at the bar!

 

I would definitely recommend spending extra $ on the DJ (Doremixx is AWESOME and a vendor of the hotel).  We only went with the classic wedding package but still had the beautiful white linens decorating everything, candle lit table centerpieces, floral centerpiece for the head table, nice white chairs, etc. 

 

I brought my own photographer from home and it was totally worth it.  She was a family friend that stayed at the resort for 2 nights, but I still had to pay the outside vendor fee for her.  I promise, she was worth every penny.  I've known her for a long time and she's always done my family portraits, and I am so glad I asked her to come.  We covered the cost of her trip and she did the pics for us.  It was the best money we ever spent because we love all 900 pictures she took! I highly recommend using someone you already know.

 

We used a Travel Agent to book everyone's travel and it was great.  I worried about nothing and she got everyone set up.  People could make payments for their trip up to 30 days before travel which was a huge benefit to using a TA.  We paid $1200/adult with rount trip airfare and this hotel was worth every cent.  My parents had never left the country or done an all-inclusive and I was worried that my mom wouldn't find the benefit in the up-front cost, but she can't stop raving about this resort now that we're home.  It really is a wonderful place to do this.  All of you considering it or stressing out now that your booked- be at ease.  Your onsite WC will handle everything for you and make your big day the day of your dreams.  I know mine certainly was.

 

The only con I have about getting married here is the lack of negotiation/perks for having your wedding here.  Everything is pretty cut and dry, which could be a pro too.  You know what you're getting and you get what you pay for.  They do an amazing job and know their stuff.  They do this every day and they do it perfectly. 

 

To the girls planning their reception in the ballrooms at GCR:  I can't speak for the other resorts in the chain, but at GCR we toured the ballrooms as a back up if it rained because both our ceremony and reception are planned to be outdoors and found that it was quite obvious you were in a tropical climate while in the ballroom.  Although GORGEOUS, there is a smell that goes with carpet and this type of constant humidity...I HIGHLY recommend the Sunset Views Lounge.  It is an outdoor terrace but is on the 6th floor with both views of the Caribbean Sea and the sunset over the lagoon.  It was breath taking.  We were married in January which is a cooler month than those of you planning a summer wedding, so I understand your concern about heat.  However, I strongly urge you to consider that there is a lot of wind that comes off the sea and that evenings are cooler - I actually felt a bit cold during dinner and my bridesmaids put on scarves until we started dancing and warmed up a bit.  I have a feeling on a summer night this terrace would be a nice temperature.  And although the ballrooms are gorgeous, nothing could top how beautiful the terrace was.  Nothing.

 

Happy planning!!!

Hi girls, I did a welcome party for our entire group the night before the wedding. It was Friday night at 6pm and we all met at the lobby bar. Sunset grill has steak night on Friday nights and doesn't require reservations. They sat our entire party as they opened and it was perfect. 45 people had drinks & then dinner together to meet each other prior to our big day. It worked perfectly & was free!

 

Hi Emily!

 

This is the only other one I have until our photographer is done with the photos she took.  The "gazebo" is on the edge of the pool deck so I was worried about screaming kids/drunk people, but was in awe when they opened the doors for me to walk out and everyone had stopped and were taking pictures or videos!  Everyone was very respectful and I didn't hear a peep out of the strangers at the pool!  The floor is a wooden deck, but they put a carpet down, so you heels don't get stuck between the planks.  The white fabric looked beautiful blowing in the breeze.  It really was perfect!

Quick answers to questions on here based on my experience:

 

Yes the cost for the priest is included in the Royal Catholic Wedding Package. You BOTH have to be catholic, anullments completed, and approved by your local priest to get married in the chapel by a priest.

Yes, they charge you $5 per room to put any item in them (welcome bags, favors, etc.). I handed mine out as people checked in. It was free and gave me a chance to great each guest individually.

Yes, you get an onsite wedding coordinator once you get closer to the date of the wedding. I had Diana Rodriguez at GCR and Royal Cancun and she is amazing. The hand-off from corporate to her was seamless too. Do not worry!

Yes, you get charged an outside vendor fee EVEN if your vendor is a guest at your wedding and staying at the hotel.

The DJ the hotels suggest (Doremixx) is awesome, we have Ivan and he was AMAZING. Every guest danced, even the one with a broken foot! He was worthe every penny of the $950 we spent for the 3 hours.

Church and State are separate. I would not have a legal marriage in Mexico (expensive, blood tests, etc.), so we did a legal ceremony in Illinois at the court house. It was $30 and took 5 minutes. A religous marriage in any country is not recognized by the state, you will always need to head to the court house and get your license and then take the required steps to have it legalized.

The Royal is SUPER strict about who is let inside....I had a make-up appointment and it was worse than customs/immigration trying to get in there....

 

I'll post my review of our wedding in the review section!

Here's a few photos from GCR.  The first is of us at sunset on the terrace where our reception was held.  The other is the Gazebo they built on the pool deck where our ceremony was held!

Quick answers to questions on here based on my experience:

 

Yes the cost for the priest is included in the Royal Catholic Wedding Package.  You BOTH have to be catholic, anullments completed, and approved by your local priest to get married in the chapel by a priest.

Yes, they charge you $5 per room to put any item in them (welcome bags, favors, etc.).  I handed mine out as people checked in.  It was free and gave me a chance to great each guest individually.

Yes, you get an onsite wedding coordinator once you get closer to the date of the wedding.  I had Diana Rodriguez at GCR and Royal Cancun and she is amazing. The hand-off from corporate to her was seamless too.  Do not worry!

Yes, you get charged an outside vendor fee EVEN if your vendor is a guest at your wedding and staying at the hotel.

The DJ the hotels suggest (Doremixx) is awesome, we have Ivan and he was AMAZING.  Every guest danced, even the one with a broken foot!  He was worthe every penny of the $950 we spent for the 3 hours.

Church and State are separate.  I would not have a legal marriage in Mexico (expensive, blood tests, etc.), so we did a legal ceremony in Illinois at the court house.  It was $30 and took 5 minutes.  A religous marriage in any country is not recognized by the state, you will always need to head to the court house and get your license and then take the required steps to have it legalized.

The Royal is SUPER strict about who is let inside....I had a make-up appointment and it was worse than customs/immigration trying to get in there....

 

Now on to the juicy details of our wedding 1.26.13:

 

So we got married here a week and half ago!  Like all of you, I had concerns, all brides do.  We had 43 adults and children attend our wedding and spend anywhere from 2-9 nights at GCR.  The reviews online had us extremely nervous, so we weren't totally sure what to expect.  We had people traveling with us that had never left the country before and then people who are professional travelers, especially with all-inlcusives.  Every single person loved GCR.  The kids, the older adults, and everyone in the middle.  The food was good (some excellent, some just ok, but all good), the drinks were good, the grounds are immaculate, the rooms are really nice, the beach is amazing, the service is second to none, and the location is perfect.  Our wedding was everything I had dreamed of as a little girl and more.  If you have concerns, they will be alleviated the second you step on site.

 

In the beginning, we had opted for the Royal Catholic Wedding (the Chapel is the reason we chose this site) and had issues communicating with the corporate WC.  As the date got closer, we received information that our priest would not write the letter for us to have the catholic ceremony, so we changed our package.  We decided to have a Classic Wedding and added a Christian Minister (included :-) to our ceremony.  We chose the Gazebo to get married in, and low and behold, the construction people had complained about at GCR in December was because they were building a new Gazebo!  It is on the pool deck so when Diana showed it to me upon our arrival, I became extremely worried about loud pool guests, children, walking through water on the deck, etc.  Rest assured, Diana doesn't let a thing slip!  None of these things ended up being valid concerns!  Everyone stopped for the ceremony, watched, took photos, and even recorded our wedding with their iPad!  I was shocked and so appreciative of everyone's respect.  It was flawless.  I walked down the aisle to a song I chose and brought on my iPod, and Diane took care of the rest.  The Christian Minister was outstanding and our ceremoy was beautiful.  Also, I wasn't really worried about anything once we arrived at the hotel and met Diana.  I trusted Diana to get everything done, so I didn't see her after our first meeting until 3:53 on my wedding day.  I walked down the aisle on time at 4pm.  :-)

 

We chose a private reception on a terrace.  We wanted to be outdoors but not on the beach (too windy).  We skipped the cocktail reception and just let the guests move into a cocktail half hour on the terrace while we finished our photos on the beach.  The Terrace was the Sunset Views Lounge 2.  It was amazing.  We could watch the waves crash on the Caribbean or the sun set over the lagoon...the photos are beautiful, I will share them as soon as the photographer gets them too us.  The drinks are top shelf (rare at an all-inclusive), the food was amazing (filet), the scenery is beautiful, and the staff is fantastic.  I opted to have my dinner music play on shuffle on my iPod, but I am certain Ivan with Doremixx would have done an amazing job if I had let him play songs himself.  We did not add any extra decorations.  Everything had white linens, they had candles on every table with boxes of sand, and there were no floral arrangements on the tables.  I hadn't wanted to spend the extra money and am glad I didn't - everyone is ranting and raving about how great the reception was, even with no flowers.  :-)

 

Every single guest we had danced.  Our reception was only 3 hours, so as soon as we finished photos we did the bridal party entrance, we cut our cake, did our first dance, danced with our parents, and then started dinner.  We had one hour of dancing after dinner and it was PERFECT. The DJ did fireworks during our first dance, had balloons, masks, and glow sitcks to dance with for our guests, and played the perfect mix of music.  My reception was over by 7:30, we all changed, grabbed a few drinks in the lobby bar, and then later headed out to Senor Frogs!  It's 5 minutes down the road by public bus for $0.65/person.  You can walk to Margaritaville if you want, but we were looking for more of a party.  The buses can take you anywhere along that road and there is only one stoplight on the entire road!  I recommend you get on and close your eyes until you get where you're going.   Then as soon as your off the bus, DON'T close your eyes becuase the cars/buses/taxis drive crazy down that road!

 

I found good value in the DJ and Private reception. We didn't need extra decorations, flowers, linens, or time. I made my own flowers for my girls and guys, but the bouquet and boutonierre that came with our package were beautiful. It also included a nice centerpiece for our ceremony that they brought to the head table.

 

To all of you stressing, I promise this will be the easiest experience of your life once you get there. You have to keep in mind, they do this sort of thing all the time.  There were no extra charges we didn't know about once we got to the hotel.  I didn't once have to argue over a final bill due.  I had printed all of my emails and invoices to prove payment, and never needed any of them.  The included decorations were beautiful.  Just breath and enjoy your wedding!  They take care of the rest!

I contemplated extending our reception by an hour, but it's quite expensive.  They charge a per guest fee per hour and the dj charges $150/hour.  Our reception ends at 7:30!!!  Which sounds awful, but so many people are coming for the vacation part too, that we decided to move the reception to the lobby bar and tip the bartenders well to give us good service the rest of the night.  I just refuse to spend more money for drinks at an all-inclusive hotel!  I would have just gotten married at home if I had knowe we were going to spend this much money. 

 

I have been really disappointed about how rigid they are on their fees, timing, rules, etc.  You'd think there would be some negotiating, but there is NONE.  For instance, we have to pay $5/room to put the welcome bags in them for our guests.  We too had to pass on the chapel because my finace's anullment won't be completed in time, even though he's already started the process and we're both Catholic...  We also are paying the "discounted" outside vendor fee for my guests that are staying the WEEKEND at the hotel but are doing my photography.  So on top of everything else, it's $280 ($350 discounted by 20%) for my friends to take my wedding pictures. 

 

Well, my wedding is on Saturday and we leave to head to GCR in 2 days, so I can let you girls know the details very soon!  They have two pools, so I wasn't real worried about one being small...not to mention the large beach they have....

These are the save-the-dates I made for us (well one I messed up the address on so I didn't actually send it to our guest).  I made them on zazzle.com - they always have sales and coupons so they were only $.73 each.  The postage was $.80 each, which is a little pricey ($.50 per stamp because the cost of postage is included) but worth it because it incorporated a photo of us.  It was a great way for me to share my TA's info too.  I sent these out 7/8 months prior to my wedding.  Every guest we have attending went through our TA and is staying at the GCR.

Hi Lesley!  Nope, there should be absolutely NO fee for bringing things from home.  I have already explained to my coordinator that I made my own flowers and such, and she said ok great.  It's when you have outside people start dropping things off or doing things for you that you incur the outside vendor fee.  My WC even said she'd set-up all the things I bring for me so I don't have to worry about it!  :-)

I too was told I couldn't mail anything in advance.  I guess it might have made me nervous anyway...I'd rather pay the extra luggage and have it with me in collapsable bags.  It's my welcome bags that I need the extra space for...I'm barely bringing more than my dress and shoes for the actual wedding!  So I won't need to bring it all home either.

Oh!!!  You have to check it out!  If you don't have a store near you, you can shop online. 

 

www.hobbylobby.com

 

They have the true touch flowers online as well!  Here's a link to the ivory boutonierre, but they have other colors/options.  If you sign up for their emails you receive weekly coupons as well.  I put my bouquets together with a pair of strong scissors (to cut the stems), a hot glue gun, ribbon I already had, and the 5 stems I purchased.  We bought the boutonierres there, which are 50% off at the moment, so $1.50.  If I find anything else like this or see anything that is a neat tip/trick once I get to GCR I'll be sure to share it with you girls!

 

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/vanilla-true-touch-corsage-205906/

[/img] Here's one of the BM bouquets I put together. So exciting... I love a good deal! Yeah the his & hers from hobby lobby are great! And if you're not good at making your own, they have per-made bouquets! My wedding is January 26th in the Gazebo.

Hey girls! My wedding is 13 days away... I'm so excited! I had to tell you (especially those worried about the cost of centerpieces) that while I was in hobby lobby the other day I found a type of fake flower called "real touch". They look & feel so real... I decided to make my bridesmaids bouquets myself!! They also happened to be 50% off! So each of my bouquets cost $12.50 vs. The resorts $80. I also found matching, pre-made boutonnieres in their wedding section that are made with the same real touch flowers! They're $2.99 each. I'll post some pics later, but had to tell you guys so you can check them out. It will be a ton cheaper to make your own & pay for an extra suitcase than it is to buy theirs, or pay the vendor fee for someone else's.

I went through Star Travel out of Atlanta and they were AMAZING.  We even got a credit for each new family that booked through them and she promised to beat any price people could find on their own by $100.  My guests paid about $1200 for a week for adults and $700 for children. 

 

I have been told that even though my photographers are staying at the hotel for TWO nights that I cannot get the outside vendor fee waived.  They've offered to reduce it, but will not waive it. 

 

I don't mind that things are black and white, it means you know you're options up front.  I do like that they allow you to bring your own things w/o any fees, although it can be hard to travel that way.  If you think about it though, people aren't coming to your wedding for the cake, decorations, flowers, etc.  The scenery is gorgeous, the food sounds fantastic, and you're going to be there with the people that mean the most to you.  I've decided not to worry so much about the little details, I bet people will love it no matter what, hopefully becuase I've invited them to share in the biggest day of my life.  The wedding planning through Real Resorts has been very similar to having a local wedding, which is somewhat reassuring to me.  Its the same obstacles, little stresses, big stresses, and beautiful ending that every bride has (or so I've heard). 

 

Emily!  I am SO sorry you have a bridesmaid acting like that.  How frustrating.  Hunny, you may be better off without her in the wedding...as hard as that sounds.  I am going through something similar, although mine is still standing up - but by her own requirements and with plenty of guilt on me for planning an expensive destination wedding (even though hers was a destination wedding too!).  People will be people and we're better off for being flexible.  Maybe this means there is someone else you care about that you can ask instead?  Or maybe you have an uneven number of attendants, and that's ok too! I can almost guarantee your wedding will still be awesome and you'll still be a beautiful bride! With or without her standing next to you!

 

So I officially arrive at the GCR 15 days from now.  I can't wait to take photos and share them with you guys!  Diana, my onsite WC, is still  being awesome, so I'm getting really excited!  I love that she sounds so on top of everything and told me she doesn't want me to worry about anything when I get there, that she'll take care of everything!  Such a relief.  Her good reputation from on here helps too.  :-)

I recommend you girls request a different coordinator asap.  As things get down to the wire and you start to stress more, Claudy does not change and you will be 100 times more frustrated.  I tried calling her as well (on multiple occasions) and it was extremely disappointing to confirm something with her over the phone, only to get an email 3 days later with different information.  Once you make your final payment and your WC processes all the paperwork, you receive the information for your on site cooridinator.  In my case, this was 3 weeks prior to my wedding date, which is very nerve racking.   That being said, my on site WC, Diana, has been amazing so far.

 

If you are not both Catholic, you cannot get married in the Chapel.  Trust me on this- my fiance and I are both Catholic, but because his anullment will not be done in time they will not allow us to marry in the Chapel and I had to change my wedding ceremony location and package last minute.  The Catholic wedding you would have there has the same rules/processes/requirements that a Catholic wedding here would have. 

 

Anything in color (table runners, bows, etc.) cost extra unless you bring it yourself.  All of the wedding packages include standard white linens and anything in color is an "extra".   

I originally worked with Patricia and then she handed me off to Claudy.  I had about a 48 hour wait time for responses from Claudy too.  Even during critical things like last minute package changes...  Diana is my onsite WC now and she had been  MUCH faster-  24 hours or so and answers every question. 

I just emailed Diana asking if my two wedding guests that are also taking my pictures will be charged a vendor fee, I'll let you know how she responds!  It's per company though.  So if you had an outside photographer that also included videography, it would be one outside vendor fee.  If it was one outside photography company and a separate, outside videographer company, it would be two outside vendor fees totalling $700. 

Emily, you should be able to choose from the menu you sampled...I'd fight with them over that. When we had to change our package last minute, they made me go by the old rates/packages because I booked last year. The same should be true for your menu choices...

Lori, it seems that for a fee, you can have anything you want. You would have to confirm w/a real resorts WC, but I imagine that they'd let you "add" a ceremony in the chapel to your luxury wedding package. I am sure it's not included but can be added.

How excited I am to find this website!  I am getting married at the GCR in just a few weeks, on January 26, 2013. I can't wait to share my story and hear what past or present brides have to say about it!

 

So we picked this hotel because of the chapel.  I am not (was not) Catholic, but took the classes through our church so that I could get married before God.  My fiance is divorced, and after making all final payments and solidifying everything, our Priest informed us that he would not write the letter of approval becuase his anullment would not be done in time.  I will say that this was a really big deal for me and NO fault of GCR's at all.  However, I do feel that my corporate wedding planner through Real Resorts could have been a little more kind about me having to change my wedding package.  We had already finalized a Royal Catholic Wedding with 43 guests, and because I could no longer get married in the chapel we had to change our package.  She was not very quick at getting me the new contract and while I was waiting for it to be sent over she threatened to cancel my wedding?  We worked it all out, but only because at 6pm on a Saturday night I was in front of the computer sending her the new contract and other required documents I had never even seen before (a rooming list with each guests confirmation code?).  There are several instances in which she forgot to send me payment confirmations and then asked me where they were, which I thought weren't even needed if your payment was under a certain dollar amount.  There's also been instances where she's sent me multiple, different emails, but on the same topic, so I was confused on what was what.  Now that everything is finalized, I have been informed of the local, on-site, Hotel wedding planner that will be helping me and I am hoping for a better experience.  We have not spoken yet, but I have found the same thing as other brides- this hotel/wedding facility is not very accomodating with discounts, extras, or negotiating.  I can't even get reservations in one of the restaurants for a "rehersal" dinner the night before without being charge $15/person.  So instead I am having everyone meet in the Lobby Bar the night before.  My fiance is taking all the groomsmen fishing that morning, but I haven't found much else to do on site.  There is a spa, but my bridesmaids get in throughout the day on Friday, so I found that just inviting all of our guests to hang in the lobby bar on Friday before heading out to dinner was a good way to get everyone together. 

 

We did pay the $400 fee for having a weekend evening wedding.  This is non-negotiable for all weddings on Fri or Sat at 4pm or later.  We also paid a $400 fee for the minister.  This is non-negotiable if you choose the Classic Wedding Package, but had been included on our Royal Catholic Wedding Package.  I also sprang for the DJ for our reception, and so far he has the best customer service of everyone!  He contacted me immediately, includes fireworks, and also is the MC for the wedding introduction!  He has song lists he sends you in advance, schedules time to meet with you once you arrive at GCR to go over the wedding plans, and isn't pushy on the light-up dance floor or any other "extras". 

 

I did NOT hire the hotel's photographer or any local photographer.  I have a very dear friend that owns a photography studio and offered to pay her and her husbands trip if she would do my photography, and believe it or not, the cost is the same.  It was $1500 to bring her and a guest for 2 days and $1500 to hire a local photographer.  She opted to bring an assitant instead of her husband, which certainly works out in my favor!  I am anxious to see if the hotel charges us the vendor fee after everything we've spent already & knowing she is a guest of the hotel!  Plus there are more items we'd like to add (bridesmaids bouquets, maybe a different cake) to our wedding package that I didn't want to do through the corporate wedding planner.  I am hoping the on-site planner is easier to work with.

 

We also decided to extend our stay in Mexico and send our kids home with our parents.  I contacted reservations to see if they would give us a discount if we stayed the extra 4 nights at GCR.  The discounted rate for just the hotel stay was $1100.  I thanked the reservations specialist for the discounted rate, but let her know we opted to stay elsewhere for less money.  We love Cozumel, so we are heading over there for $800 for the 4 nights instead.

 

All this being said, we are just as excited for our vacation here as we are for our wedding.  The beach is gorgeous, the rooms are sleepable, and there are plenty of choices for food and drink.  And with 43 of our closest friends and family, what else could you need?!