WinnipegBride

I bought the clear plastic holders from Staples and I bought my coil wrist bands from Oriental Trading and just made my own insert and printed it

I have bought 2 cases of these from Dollar Tree for my wedding coming up in a couple of months.  I bought 1 to test out this summer, and use it daily to bring to work with my water in it.  It holds ice for a few hours and is still going strong after 3 months of use.  I would definitely recommend buying!! 

We ordered paper fans from Oriental Trading (48 fans) and they came in 2 small plastic bags, very reasonable for travelling with.  I have bought gift tags from Party Stuff ($4 for 80 tags) that we will be printing our names/wedding date on and will attach them to the base of the fan.  I think people will be okay with the paper fans and will be understanding that it is difficult to bring such a mass quantity of extra stuff with you.  We are doing a full beach bag with goodies for each guest, so I did not want to spend a TON of money on the fans.

We decided on going with the coil wrist style (we ordered from Oriental Trading Co.), and bought ID bag tags to attach to them.  We also wavered with doing the lanyards, but at the end of the day the coil wrist style was more cost effective and just seems like less of a nuisance.  I wouldn't personally carry tip money around my neck, but that's just me!  Our idea was more to keep the room key and tips dry and safe, and easily accessible when walking to/from the beach to your room

*SIGH* the sticker idea did not exactly work out....I bought rectangular labels and when I stuck them on they looked silly because the tumbler is circular and not the same width throughout so everything looks crooked. I have not decided if I am going to redo with round labels or just scrap the idea all together! So disappointed.  However, I was able to waterproof my labels by using packing tape!! I know it sounds ridiculous, but we taped over the labels and used an exacto knife to cut around the outline and it worked great!  I have also heard awesome things from Davet Designs (ETSY) but when you factor in shipping to Canada it ended up costing over double the cost of the cups (not worth it in my opinion).

We wanted to do the 10 day stay, but turns out that Sunwing doesn't do their 10 day vacations until primetime in December out of Winnipeg....so we will be doing the 7 days with our group and hopefully get away on a private honeymoon in the Spring instead.  I think 10 days would be awesome because you will be able to kick back and relax more..

I am trying to stay on a budget, but I keep getting excited with ideas! We ordered bags from Oriental Trading Co. that people can use as beach bags if they want (they are reusable grocery bag material...so people will find a use for them at home if not on the trip). So far I have bought insulated tumblers from dollar tree, stretchy wrist band with the ID tag to hold room key or tip money, hand sanitizers from Bath and Body Works (they had a big sale), decks of cards from Dollarama, earplugs (that I got for free at work) I find the rooms can be noisy in the early morning/late night.  I am just looking to make a hang over kit now, and maybe do the waterproof stickers to slap on the cups to make them more personal for the week.  I will include a welcome letter and itinerary also that I am ordering from Vistaprint. I also bought the Asian paper fans, but we will be putting those on the chairs for the ceremony.  Now just trying to figure out how to get all this stuff down there without going way over our luggage capacity....

If you are looking at a more affordable option than doing a full private event, GSP does offer what they call a private "cocktail party"...this is what we have opted for after our dinner at the Miso restaurant.  I have been in correspondence with one of the wedding coordinators (EMMA) and we will be doing this option from 8pm-10pm on the beach.  You have your own private bartender and can hire their DJ for dancing etc.  I am also of the opinion that doing my first dance, dance with my dad, and so on is really important, but do not have the budget for Chill out lounge or other private options.  This seems to be a much more affordable option (depending on your party's size) and they will set up chairs and cocktail tables.  We are choosing to host this on the beach, but she said that they could do it in other locations as well (not sure on what those are, since we liked the idea of doing dancing in the sand...)

The options are 8pm-10pm $25USD per person for domestic open bar (its pricier if you want premium liquor) or $33USD per person for 8pm-11pm

If you want to have a DJ the cost is $560USD for 2hrs or $650USD for the 3hrs.

Hope that helps a bit! Good luck with your planning!

If you don't mind my asking, what did MTM quote you for pricing?  I am looking at doing an outside vendor for my wedding Dec 03 2014 as well and MTM is in the running for work that I seem to like... Pricing seems to range from $1500-$4000+ which seems a bit insane to me (plus the outside vendor fees).

Also, where have you seen sample pictures from their resort photographer? I cannot seem to find any..

Thanks!

Just wondering for all you brides that got married at GSP, what did you end up doing for your photography?  Did you use the resort photographer (if so how did you like that)? Did you bring someone with you from home? Or did you hire a photographer from Mexico and pay the vendor fee for them to shoot your wedding? 

Can you please provide approximate pricing information as well on whichever option you are going to or did use.

Thanks!

Just looking at all my options now for photography and am undecided on what to do for my Dec 2014 wedding!

I have not confirmed a date yet, but am looking at doing a wedding early Dec 2014 for GSP.  Just wondering for everyone who has already booked, which wedding package did you choose? I am looking at "symbolic" but seems odd that pricing varies so much between the Princess Package and "renewal of vows" package.  Also for those who are looking at doing a beach party afterwards, do you need to have a minimum of 40 adults like they are stating in their wedding information?  I will MAYBE have 25-30, definitely wont come close to the 40 mark....   This looks like a really cool idea though, and more intimate than just doing a dinner...Any advice or information would be great!!

Thanks, I have done some research and although the Grand Sunset Princess wedding packages sound more appealing, I am really leaning towards the Iberostar, just based on the beach and reviews on the ocean and the more "Mexican" feel of the resort.  Still waiting on pricing for DJ/after party type reception for after dinner to see if they have reasonable prices 

Thanks for all the info B21fly-I didn't even think to do the renewal of vows package instead of the wedding package to save costs and be able to afford a beach party afterwards! Those prices seem very affordable compared to some of the other resorts I have been looking at.  Your pictures look beautiful as well!

Thanks so much for the detailed report of the resort and wedding details ! I am stuck between GSP and the Iberostar Tucan....I didn't even think to look at the renewal of vows ceremony package for our wedding (what a reasonable price vs the wedding prices) which allows for the beach party without going over budget.  I will definitely look into this as an option.  We are planning out wedding for Dec 2014 with no set date yet

Just got engaged a month and a half ago, and we are planning a wedding for December 2014 in the Mayan.  I have narrowed it down to 2 resorts: Iberostar Tucan and the Grand Sunset Princess...how on earth did everyone decide on which hotel to go with? I am feeling so overwhelmed right now!!

 

Any planning tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am feeling rather clueless right now! THANKS!