Beaches Negril Brides - Post here!!

sherri-

Thanks for all the info!! I think the main reason I feel so in the dark is because I am having a ton of issues getting answers from my wedding coordinator. She is EXTREMELY difficult to reach. I call or e-mail and she takes days, sometimes over a week, to get back with me and when she does, she hardly gives me any answers. Do you think she'll be more helpful when we get closer to the wedding date? And, she did tell me I HAD to pay for everything 60 days out (including my hair style and manicure) and that is really frustrating...

When I call the wedding planner (Amber) & she doesn't answer I go back to a live person & ask them directly to speak to her. She always picks up when they transfer me. She is really slow getting back to me by email as well. If I really want to know something right away I just call.

I also learned to ask very specific questions. I asked what would happen if I didn't pay in advance & just showed up & of course they said they could still plan my wedding! For some reason Miami is really pushy & wants all the money up front. I told my WC that I wasn't paying up front & she backed off. Everytime she says I have to do something, I ask what happens if I don't. Everything can be arranged once you get there.

As for your hair & mani there are probably more openings farther in advance & you will be able to pick the time you want. I am going to schedule my hair in advance because I don't want to be stuck getting it done early in the morning (wedding is at 5:30) or last minute.

Let me know if you have any questions about more things & I will pass along the info if I have already asked the WC.

Hi everyone - we're getting married at Beaches Negril on May 5th, 2010. I'm so excited!!

I'm trying to find more info about the photography. I really think I'd prefer to have my own photographer but according to the Beaches site, they don't allow you to use outside vendors if it's a service that Beaches offers? Is this true? Do they really enforce this?

We just made our reservation about a week ago, so I haven't been in touch with the WC yet, but figured someone on here might know the answer?

I tried searching but couldn't find anything, so I apologize if this has been discussed before. I'm curious about the wedding times at Beaches. When I booked my travel plans, my TA told me the latest time available was 4pm. I told her I wanted it closer to sunset (which is approx 6:30pm in May) but she insisted this is the last available time and that they do it this way so you have time to take pictures afterwards before the sun sets. I get that, but the ceremony won't take more than a half hour, and I really don't think we need 2 hours to take pictures.

So as I start to research, it seems like you CAN get a later time (5:30pm) but ONLY if you are booking the PB Caribbean Sunset package. Is this a definite rule? What if they don't have any other weddings booked on that day - would they be willing to let me have the later time slot without booking the PB collection? The PB collection is beautiful, but I really can't justify the $3,600 just to get the later time slot. And I don't get why my TA told me 4pm was the latest as she didn't even ask me about what package (if any) I was interested in.

Does anyone have any insight they can share? I'd really like to have a 5 or 5:30 slot and need to know if there's anyway around this or if I just need to suck it up and be happy with the 4pm slot.

Thanks in advance - I'm sooo glad I found this forum!!!

One of the reasons I recommend using a sandals preferred Agency that is very familiar with sandals Destination weddings- we can get the answers usually within 24 hrs if not sooner! And that's if we don't know them off hand!

She may have been referring to if you pre book- then you have to pre pay.

I keep stressing in this thread that if you know what you want -bouquets, decoratiosns ect and have very specific items in mind then it is highly recommended to pre book.

Waiting till you get to the resort may mean that :

A. the florist can not come up with the exact flowers/colors that you want

B. the best musician(s)/dj/band are already booked with another resort

C. You end up getting caught up in "the moment" and spend more than you planned on

D. Your preferred spa time is already taken

E. You spend vacation time pouring over the catalogue and making decisions ( personally I'd rather be enjoying the beach/pool or spa instead of getting stressed over decisions)

If you are a laid back bride and can roll with things and make quick decisions then feel free to wait, but my experience is that many couples come back saying they wished they had pre booked certain items!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JessGreen1114 sherri-   Thanks for all the info!! I think the main reason I feel so in the dark is because I am having a ton of issues getting answers from my wedding coordinator. She is EXTREMELY difficult to reach. I call or e-mail and she takes days, sometimes over a week, to get back with me and when she does, she hardly gives me any answers. Do you think she'll be more helpful when we get closer to the wedding date? And, she did tell me I HAD to pay for everything 60 days out (including my hair style and manicure) and that is really frustrating...

Strict no outside photographer policy!

They will not do the 5 or 5:30 (depending on time of year) wedding for anything other than the Preston Bailey Caribbean Sunset collection- I was able to get them to relax that policy for one bride-however she was booked in the top room category and had to pick a different PB (the 6000 pacakge) or had to pay the equivelent to the 3600 with a different PB .

If you wanted to change to the PB and get that time slot they will let you but other than that- 4pm is the latest!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hockeymom97 Hi everyone - we're getting married at Beaches Negril on May 5th, 2010. I'm so excited!!   I'm trying to find more info about the photography. I really think I'd prefer to have my own photographer but according to the Beaches site, they don't allow you to use outside vendors if it's a service that Beaches offers? Is this true? Do they really enforce this?   We just made our reservation about a week ago, so I haven't been in touch with the WC yet, but figured someone on here might know the answer?

I was told by amber (my WC)through email that if the photographer was a guest staying at beaches, then it was ok. I am thinking of having a family friend who is a photographer do my wedding and just pay for his plane ticket and accommodations. It will probably end up being cheaper than having beaches do it.

Hockey Mom,

Congratulations!!!

Here is what I have found out:

The PB collection is the only way you can have the ceremony after 4pm. I asked to have my ceremony at sunset, but just ala cart the decor & the answer was no. They did tell me that they could possibly let me have a later time slot if I was willing to pay a fee & use another PB collection. The price was the same no matter what. Sunset was an absolute for me so I am doing the Sunset Collection.

As for photographers, they say no one outside the resort can take photo's. I was also told that if the photographer was a guest then it was ok for them to take photos. I did read on another blog that someone hired a local photographer & told the resort the they were a guest & paid the fee to have them there for the day as a guest. They did get harrassed once because the photographer brought in fancy equipment, but in the end they didn't make too big of a scene. So I guess it is up to you how you want to handle it.

I am not too impressed with the resort photography. I haven't seen any photos that look like they are professional pictures. I am very hesitant about letting them capture such a wonderful moment & not end up with any good photo's. I am currently researching photographers on the island & trying to decide what to do. Make sure & post if you find a great photographer on the island!

Sherri

I just read on another thread that Sandals is allowing outside photographers if they are a booked as a "guest" and spend 2-3 days at the resort. So I'm assuming Beaches will allow the same?

But regardless of that, I've decided that I am inviting a friend of mine to the wedding who happens to be a professional photographer, and she's going to shoot my wedding. I completely agree with you - capturing these moments is just about the most important piece of the wedding for me so I need to make sure I have someone that I KNOW will do a great job. My friend is based in Chicago, but she absolutely LOVES doing destination weddings. She's offered to do pics the night before if we have a rehearsal dinner, and she's also going to do my TTD!! I'm not sure if what she's charging me is her normal rate for a destination wedding, but if you contact her, she's super friendly and easy to talk to and I'm sure she could give you her rates. If you want to check out her site, it's Best Friend Photography and Design. Just tell her that Heather referred you