Destination wedding at Grand Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta – an Honest Review from Tramaine and Shannon

The Couple

Shannon and Tramaine met through their jobs in the film industry. They were both working on a film in NYC, Shannon in the make-up department and Tramaine from the locations department. Shannon noticed on set that Tramaine was setting up the make-up chair incorrectly and jokingly told her so, and at that moment Tramaine knew this would be her future wife.

When Tramaine came to Philadelphia to celebrate the couples’ one-year anniversary, Shannon had prepared a romantic day inspired by the 5 senses. It started with a trip to get their nails done, and then they checked into a 5-star hotel. After dinner, Tramaine walked back into the hotel room to find it decorated with candles and rose petals, and Shannon had her watch a video where many of their family and friends had shared clips of them holding an “I choose you” sign, as the song of the same name by Sara Bareilles played in the background. At the end, Shannon was on her knees asking Tramaine to be her wife.

Little did Shannon know, Tramaine had also planned to propose that weekend and had compiled her own video clips, and she too asked the big question to Shannon. The only people that knew about both proposals were their mothers, and they both were overjoyed that they were able to keep the secrets from both Shannon and Tramaine so they didn’t find out.

The Planning

Together with their Destify agent, Hilary, the couple chose the Grand Fiesta Americana all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta. They loved that it was a same-sex friendly destination and an adults-only resort. Shannon said, “Since we knew our guests had to travel anyway, we wanted to pick somewhere special.” Working with Hilary proved easy and simple, and she was always quick to respond to questions.

The couple both agreed that the wedding department, and their coordinator Fanny, went above and beyond during the planning process. After the original ceremony gazebo location was destroyed in a storm, Hilary and Fanny were able to lock in the Presidential Suite balcony, so the couple could still have the wedding of their dreams.

The Wedding

The couple took full advantage of their resort, and Puerto Vallarta too, for their wedding festivities. On Thursday, they hosted a bridal party meet and greet, as a Thank You to some of their closest loved ones. On Friday, they hosted a ceremony rehearsal and a dinner rehearsal too. The dinner rehearsal proved to be a standout moment, as the couple asked their bridal party to really get dressed up for the event, and the guests happily did. It included a special menu designed just for the event and gave everyone the red carpet treatment.

On the day of the ceremony, the couple chose to switch things up, hosting a cocktail hour before their ceremony so guests could relax and get acquainted. They did this to maximize “the magic hour”, a phrase in the film industry for when the sun is setting. This made for the most beautiful photos throughout the entire wedding procession. The couple hosted an all-white ceremony and the bridal party and most of the guests followed suit wearing white. The presidential balcony was covered in white roses and candles and white organza fabric draped the room.

The reception was directly after the wedding ceremony, at a private restaurant at the resort. The couple briefly took photos to capture the last of the sunset then met up with their guests. The restaurant was decked out with white linen and white roses, orchards and hydrangea keeping in theme. The guests enjoyed a 3-course dinner prepared to perfection, and the wedding cake was adjourned with rhinestones, fresh roses, and a Mrs. and Mrs. cake-topper.

Looking Back

The couple’s advice for future newlyweds is to ask as many questions as you can. Ask for photos of everything, from the basic setup to upgraded decor, and with prices too so you correctly budget. Ask what the true totals are with taxes too, so you can figure out the overall cost easier. If you go to your resort before your guests arrive it will be easier to go over last-minute details with your wedding department. Lastly, do some research into local vendors, as they may end up being a lot cheaper than the ones your resort offers.