berg5080

Hi I don't have any photos that show off the snack bar. It is nothing special but it worked for us. I am not sure if they would let you setup the DJ there. If you've hired a DJ they probably have already reserved an area & I think that is part of the poolside deal. For the photos, they have packages. I don't have the package prices as we only got a hard copy from memory. We got 40 digi photos in total so paid for 30 and it was about $700 for that. It is a lot but well worth it as they are very good. You just need to ask if you can have your friend do that as they may get a bit funny with you. if they are a guest than it should be OK. Depending on your initial package you should still be entitled to 10 digi photos of the ceremony as we would have gotten that as standard.

Hi, I would double check with the wedding coordinator. However ours went like this - Guests meet at 24-hour snack bar Guests are seated & groom/best man stand in place Marching of bridesmaids/maid of honour Marching of bride & father/parents Formal ceremony - conducted in english & spanish Vows - we did our own Signing of the registrar Reading (optional) Final pronouncement of being man & wife Recessional (march out of aisle as husband & wife) Pictures / champagne toast Drinks Dinner reception Hope that helps - again you should just check with them. If you want something different than I would just note that. We thought that the vows would be after the signing so I was a bit surprised on the day. Also a tip - you have to do fingerprints (another surprise for me) at the signing so get someone to bring a tissue since you need to be careful with your dress & your attire obviously. Good luck, Miriam

Thanks Yazmin - I sent an email about 2-3 weeks ago. She said that the docs get sent to us directly by the government. Would it be safe to assume that if we haven't heard anything that this is a good sign and there are no issues? Should I still send a message just to be on the safe side?

Not at all - I found it quite relaxed. There were times where they tried to push the schedule - mainly before the actual wedding day when we were setting the times. However I was quite firm on sticking to the timings I wanted. They can be flexible if you let them know how certain things are important. Also I would recommend making a running order for the photos so you don't forget any important shots you really want to take. We had one and I still forgot a couple. It just helps set the right expectations - you can give this to the groom or the best man to discuss with the photographer before the ceremony begins. Good luck - you will LOVE the resort & your wedding day xxx

Not at all - I found it quite relaxed. There were times where they tried to push the schedule - mainly before the actual wedding day when we were setting the times. However I was quite firm on sticking to the timings I wanted. They can be flexible if you let them know how certain things are important. Also I would recommend making a running order for the photos so you don't forget any important shots you really want to take. We had one and I still forgot a couple. It just helps set the right expectations - you can give this to the groom or the best man to discuss with the photographer before the ceremony begins. Good luck - you will LOVE the resort & your wedding day xxx

If you can't see the attachments you can also see photos here -

Hello everyone, I'm sorry for the delay in posting our review but we have been so busy since we came back from our wedding in May 2013. Here is a quick synopsis of our experience & a couple of photos too. Overall we had the most INCREDIBLE experience. First of all - regardless if you are getting married at Gran Bahia / just a guest - we absolutely loved the resort - the staff were incredible, the food amazing and we can't honestly fault the place in any way. Here is a brief summary of our special day - Date - May 9th, 2013 16:00 Wedding Location - Akumal Beach Wedding reception - Dolce Vita Photographer - Arecife (amazing!!) Post-reception - 24 hour snack bar (no poolside reception - was amazing!) Wedding coordinator - primary - Eugenia; secondary - Gina Honeymoon - 2 nights in Cozumel (Coral Princess) The flow of the day - 16:00 - ceremony - we also wrote our own vows & had 2 friends do a reading for us which I recommend 16:30 - pictures (guests who aren't involved watch & drink champagne at a small beach hut) 16:45 - group picture & then toast (we also had our guest book out at this stage to act as a conversation piece) 17:30 - drinks at 24 hour snack bar 18:00 - dinner, speeches, cake etc. 20:00 - party time at 24 hour snack bar (own music playlist) - we considered going to the Tulum bar for dancing but were quite happy where we were. Many of you brides may get frustrated - as I did - before you arrive with the lack of communication. I can tell you that it is OK and normal from what I gather. I was quite nervous about our initial meeting as was worried that things wouldn't go as I wanted them to. I was wrong - Eugenia has this down to a T and was very helpful. The only snag I had was around the flowers. I had given extensive instructions about these in advance but I felt that she didn't have that with her when we met. There was only one issue on the day and that was with the corsages (they had pins vs wristbands). However this was quickly resolved by Gina so no really worry in the end. The flowers were gorgeous - especially my bouquet and my bridesmaids. I would highly recommend a 16:00 time for the wedding. I saw other brides who had theirs at 14:00 and there was a lot of waiting around after and people ended up having to have a snack in between so they didn't get too tipsy before the meal. Also this gave me more time to relax before my big day. The staff were very helpful to me and even obliged when I requested a bottle of champagne to my room - no extra charge either. The biggest suggestion I can give brides who are looking to keep costs down is to reconsider the poolside reception. My husband & I were unsure about this from the beginning. We didn't feel like it was good value for money. If you have a big group maybe it would be worth it but we only had 20 people. Here is what we did. We noticed that the poolside reception would likely be in front of dolce vita (where our dinner was) and that was literally beside the 24 hour snack bar. I was able to see that there was a small area around the side we could take over. We had asked all of our guests for 5 favourite songs they'd like us to play in advance of going to Mexico so we created a playlist of all the songs and loaded them onto an ipad. We purchased speakers for about 30 pounds before going too. Anyway after the meal, we headed to this area. I had bought a mix of decorations from the uk - very basic stuff (outdoor candles, colourful napkins etc) and we got that from our room. We then played our playlist, got drinks from the bar there and had a great time together. We had the option to go to one of the many bars to listen to live music and dance but we were having such a fun time, we just decided to stay where we were. It was almost like our own private party (right beside the pool) and saved us a lot of money. we didn't mind spending money but we thought it could be better spent. We ended up taking that money and spending more on our photos as well as a few more bottles of champagne for our guests as well as some nice gifts for them too. Also I highly recommend coco bongos in playa for a girls night out. It was super fun. The guys went too but we all did our own thing before and then met at the end of the night. We were still fairly separate at coco bongos but it was a lot of fun - definitely something to do and see. The final suggestion I would give brides & grooms is to try & get away for a couple of nights. This was something I'm so happy my husband and I did. It is very tempting to just stay on the resort with all your guests after the wedding. Since it is a big resort (and lovely too) you could theoretically stay away for people for a couple of nights to get privacy. However the chances are that you will see them and it won't give you that same feeling of being on your own. All we did was find a hotel in Cozumel for a couple of nights. My husband used www.hotelscombined.com to book and got a good deal at a lovely hotel called Coral Princess. We took a taxi from gran bahia to playa del carmen which was quite cheap. Then we took the ferry over to cozumel - this goes every hour. There are 2 ferry firms so just buy a 1-way ticket so you are not stuck to one firm - there is no discount for a 2-way anyway. Cozumel was a perfect getaway - it's a lovely island. The sea is so aqua blue and the food was lovely. It was definitely a highlight for us. The way we justified doing this was that it was like an excursion. we weren't able to do many other excursions but at least we had time to be together and we did do a snorkelling trip while we were there too. We know we'll be going back to this area again soon so we'll have time to go ziplining etc then. I'd love to go back to cozumel again too as it is really lovely. There are a lot of party areas there but we didn't really go down that road - it can be very quiet and relaxing too. Anyway good luck to all of you who are getting married - it is a place I will never forget. We are so happy that we chose to have our special day here!! Enjoy Miriam & Richy

Hi, We had an incredible wedding in Tulum Mexico in early May 2013. We were told that our marriage certificate would be apostille certified and sent to us in the UK within 3 months. We are still waiting - so hopefully will get this by early - mid Aug. I just wanted to ask any other UK brides their experiences with this? Did you find that it arrived earlier, later etc? We are desperately waiting for it as we are hoping to apply for Canadian immigration as soon as possible. I am a Canadian citizen and both of us really would like to relocate to Canada so this is an essential ingredient for us to be able to get the process rolling. It can take some time so we would prefer doing this sooner than later. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Miriam

Hi ladies, Just a quick one non-related to the resort. Has anyone bought the personalised maracas from Maracas Mexico? We are about to confirm our order - the total is $155 for 22 maracas mainly due to the crazy shipping fees. The payment form states that they only accept Western Union transfers. I'm not too keen and was hoping to secure this with my credit card. Does anyone know if this is legit? Thanks Miriam

Hi, No I didn't get a request like this from my WC (Eugenia). I think they are quite particular about who can do this stuff. For a makeup artist I don't think this should be a massive issue. I am having my friend (who is a guest) do my hair but since she's a guest I don't that would be an issue. Is the makeup artist from another resort?

Hi, I had the same thing. I would get organised over the next month or so - this way you have one long communication to send over. I've found that the easiest. I was really annoyed at the start with the lack of contact but now it's gotten a lot better. Also Eugenia is on holiday until end of March so she wouldn't get back to you now anyway. Our wedding is on 9th May and I am just so glad we did a ton in Jan/Feb otherwise April would have been a race to the finish. I recommend maybe asking Eugenia when she'll be off on holidays as they seem to take very long holidays - it is more relaxed in Mexico I think - lol. Also they work long days I believe so deserve the break but good to factor into your planning. We just got lucky!! Just a tip... Miriam

Hi, We were given the same pricing and options. We are getting married on a thurs and have heard (through this site) that there is a Mexican fiesta night at a considerably lower cost. The only gap in our plan post-reception dinner is that we would like to have an hour/two of our own music. We are going to attempt to talk to one or two of the dj's in the resort. We aren't supportive of paying over a grand for a private bartender as we are at an all inclusive and none of our guests would even like the special cocktails as everyone drinks wine, spirits & beer. We are always going to bring our own small speakers so worst case we will find a private area of the hotel on our own, hook up the speakers and have a private boogie somewhere. Also my fiance plays guitar so we may bring that and then have that as part of the entertainment too. We are only about 20 people so it shouldn't be a big deal. Then after this psuedo party we can hit the mexican fiesta. I doubt highly the hotel will kick out the bride & groom. lol. x

Hi, Thanks for that - that is a BIG help. I just asked Eugenia this. We are going to have 21 people - including us. We ideally wanted the 2 of us to sit separately and face the other tables so I have asked if this is possible. This - I guess - would mean 2 x tables of 9-10 and then us separately. That is also good to know about the 30 min place cards/table gifts. It would only take a few mins I think as its only 20 people. Great news, Miriam

Hi, My coordinator told me 3-4. One for bridesmaids coming in, one for bride coming in, one for signing of the certificate & one for the recessional. We only have one bridesmaid so we are doing (1) song for people sitting down and the groom/groomsmen heading up to the altar, (2) song for bridesmaid/bride (figure it can be the same with just raising the volume when I come down), (3) signing and (4) recessional.

My fiance and I have now spoken about it and are very keen on doing the Mexican fiesta party after dinner instead of the poolside reception. Can anyone who has been to the resort explain what happens at this fiesta party? I just want to understand if it includes the all inclusive that the guests have paid for or if the drinks are covered in the ticket price? Is there food, nibbles etc? What is the music like? can you request any songs??? Thanks - appreciate your feedback. Thanks Miriam