JUSTUSTWO

Love, love, love your wedding pics! Those colors are stunning & your dress was beautiful. I love how the blue of your GM/BM just pops! And now of course after seeing that candy buffet, I want candy! Great job & congratulations.

My vote is in!

Wow, this is definitely hard. They're all great. I have 2 favorites but I think I know which is my absolute favorite. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krysta lee ann 

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!! I HAVE FINALLY DECIDED TO GO WITH ROR!!!!

 

departure date: April 14th, 2012

Wedding Date: April 19th, 2012 @ 3pm

 

I am super excited!!! it has taken so much stress off my shoulders to finally have picked a place and time! Now i can start the fun stuff!!

Congratulations! April was the perfect time for us. The weather was wonderful everyday!
 

I am loving how you look in dress A!

Which were you leaning towards?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krysta lee ann 

i wouldnt advise using cell phones there due to the horrific cell phone bills you would receive

 

I agree!!! I didn't know any better the first time around & my cell phone bill was ridiculous when I got home. I didn't even use the phone that much while I was there but I did make & receive alot of calls from guests on the day that they were leaving for Jamaica because I wanted to make sure that everyone made it to the airport on time.

If you still think you're going to use your cell phone even just a bit, make sure you call your provider before you leave & tell them to add international calling to your plan, as it should help with your bill. Some providers even offer international calling plans that you could probably use for your time in JA & then remove once you get home. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by booschmit 

Ok if anyone can help me with some information on the actual wedding ceremony. What is the difference between civil, religious, legal etc? Did you write your own vows, ring ceremony, sand ceremony wording and then just give it to Keisha to have the Reverand read or how does that work?? Keisha wasnt able to give me a copy of what the Reverand typically says at the ceremony so I would just like to write it all down myself and have him read it I think.? Also do you know where in the ceremony to do the sand ceremony? is it before vows/rings??? Please help me! Thanks girls. THis thread has been very helpful. Only one month left so we are trying to finish all planning. Cant wait!

Brenda

We wrote our own vows & also provided the minister with the wording for the sand ceremony. You can provide wording for any parts of the ceremony that you want. Our minister did an excellent job of incorporating his own wording into what we provided.

I know there are explanations of the differences btwn civil/religious/legal lurking around somewhere. I did a search & found some info in the threads below:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/36593/civil-renewal-religious

"...at ROR, all ceremonies are performed by a minister, but if you're having a civil ceremony, the minister will not mention God. If you're having a renewal, its performed by a minister too, but has no legal bearing."

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/24326/ror-ceremonies-symbolic-vs-religious 

Here are some threads that contained the ceremony & wedding vows script:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/32386/ror-wedding-vows-script-from-chandlyn-got-it-today

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/45307/ceremony-wording

Also, if I remember correctly, our sand ceremony was performed after our vows but before we signed our wedding documents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeshamillz 

So I found some awesome white canvas totes that I would like to use for our OOT Bags and I definitely want to personalize them.

However, every iron on paper I see says it would be good to iron onto T-shirts. If it is heavier than a T-shirt to use a heat press! Those things are expensive!!!

So I am wondering if anyone has used an iron on transfer on canvas before and how it worked out.

You can definitely use Iron On Transfers on your canvas tote OOT bags. I did this as have many other BDW brides. It takes some practice to get it right & you may mess up a bag or 2, but you will get the hang of it.

If you do a search, you'll find tons of existing threads with Iron on tips & directions, as well as pictures of completed OOT bags.

Here are a few threads that I found. Hope this helps:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/57860/diy-tips-from-a-designer-iron-on-transfers

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/34851/iron-on-monogram-on-canvas-totes

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/16574/my-oot-bags-done-almost-pics

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/66746/has-anyone-recently-used-cheaptotes

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/69355/my-totes-for-oot-gift-bags-love-them-and-they-re-cheap

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/2433/post-your-oot-bag-photos

I'm loving # 1 & # 4.

# 6 even caught my eye but if I had to pick just one it would probably be # 4. GL with your decision!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericka417 

MY fiancee is getting worried since we have never visited ROR.  Does anyone have a video of a wedding done at the property.  I have tried to get him to read the reviews here but...

When I was first interested in ROR, someone told me to go to YouTube & look up ROR wedding videos. They even have general videos showcasing the resort. There were quite a few posted at that time but I'm not sure if they still exist or if there are any more up to date videos. While those were helpful, I based my decision mainly on the reviews here on BDW & from Tripadvisor.

If your FI won't actually read the reviews from here would he read them if you printed them out? Have you also tried showing him pictures that BDW brides have posted?

But like Marlena said, ROR is beautiful & you honestly have nothing to worry about. I was married there in 2008 & went back in 2009 with family & friends because we loved it just that much! I can't wait to get back there. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmcst38 

SO thats about it, I'm so excited and so happy! Again thank you to all the brides I stole the ideas from thank you thank you!

Today's your day!!! Happy wedding day!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddieandsheila 

any brides getting married next week worried about the weather? it says possible rain all week... i def wont let that damper my excitement for our trip, but i hope it doesnt rain on the 21st! 8 days to go!

Leading up to my wedding, I think I must have checked the forecast everyday & was a nervous wreck when I saw that it was supposed to rain everday. I can tell you that once I arrived in Jamaica, it probably only rained one day out of the 7 days that it was supposed to. So definitely don't worry about rain being in the forecast.

On the occasions that I've been back to ROR, when it did rain, it was pretty quick, like a passing shower & then 10 minutes later the sun would be back out. But like you said, hopefully it won't rain on the 21st & you'll have a day filled with sunshine!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmadzia1 

Ladies, I have a rather silly question. If you stay in the standard room, do you still have access to the 'quiet' pool?  Or is that pool exclusively for the deluxe wing?

The pools are open to everyone regardless of your room type. The only thing that someone staying in a standard room may not have access to are some of the specialty restaurants.

 

Sometimes a thread is locked if there are other existing threads that already discuss the issue or if the issue has been discussed at length. The mods do that to keep repetive threads down to a minimum & to save forum space. Hope that helps.

I didn't expect to watch it but I got caught up in it when I turned on the TV this morning. I thought that the dress was nice & she looked pretty, but I wasn't blown away by it. Then I thought of how hard all of this must be on her. I'm sure she had an amazing day & she was happy but just imagine having a wedding where you have "traditions" that MUST be followed. From her dress & having her shoulders covered, to her flowers, to the tiara, there were certain things she had to do no matter what. Just crazy! lol...She seems to have taken it all in stride though.

When I look at the order of the dresses as you have them posted, it looks like they each progress & pick up from where the last leaves off, going from wow to wowzers to wooooooowwwww! lol...Hopefully that makes sense.

I think you look amazing in each of them but #2 looks like the "inbetween" of all 3. I say go with the one that you absolutely can not stop thinking about, but either one you chose is a winner since you look great in all of them.

Originally Posted by HeavenlyBride 

Questions

Do we get to meet with the DJ before the wedding to discuss music?

The white folding chairs are theyh free because I heard they use to charge for those?

Does anyone know the cost of chair covers and sashes?

Where do the guest have hors'd ouvers on the beach on in the plantation?

DJ:

I didn't meet with the DJ prior to the wedding, but if thats something that you wanted to do, you should ask your WC. If meeting with the DJ is not possible, I would highly suggest that if you have specific songs that you would like played, you bring them on a CD & make sure you label the CD's. For example, if you want to be introduced at the Plantation, have a CD marked "intro song". If you want to hear certain songs played during the reception, I would put all of those on 1 CD & label it "reception songs to be played during dinner", etc...The more info you have for the DJ, the better. You could give these CD's to the WC to give to the DJ, or give them to a designated member of the bridal party or a close family friend, to give to the DJ before you & your husband are announced.

Chairs/Sashes:

The chairs that I had were brown, plastic type chairs which were free so I'm not too sure about white folding chairs. In 2008, the chair covers were btwn $10-$12 per cover but I don't recall how much the sashes were. Sorry!

Hors d'oeuvres  :

The hors d'oeuvres    that you select, will likely be served during your reception at the Plantation. You could probably have them served on the beach but ofcourse that would probably involve some sort of set up fee, etc.

 The only thing that my guests were served on the beach immediately following our ceremony, was champagne & Rum Punch.

We arrived on a Tuesday & had guests arriving on Wednesday & Thursday & our wedding was on Friday. We let our guests have a casual day & get familiar with the resort on Thursday & then had a Welcome dinner on Thursday night. On the day of the wedding, we let our guests enjoy the day doing whatever it is they wanted to do, which was pretty much relaxing & spending time on the beach. As I was getting ready, they were jet sking, visiting the spa & just doing what they wanted to do so I really wouldn't worry about planning something for them on the day of your ceremony. The one planned group outing that we did was on Saturday, taking everyone to Dunn's River & then shopping.

I think you can offer things for your guests to do but don't feel obligated to plan for them since like you said, they are on vacation. The cocktail hour that you have planned sounds great. You could also turn that into a Welcome dinner, just to give everyone a little more time getting to know each other.

Basically, just take things as they come. For instance, we would all meet in the morning for breakfast at a designated time. Most of the group arrived around the same time & then we spent the day however we wanted to.

I am glad that we planned 1 group activity such as Dunn's River because it was fun but there are sooo many tour vendors around the resort, that if your guests are interested in doing things, they will definitely be able to find something to do.

Hi, there are tons of threads that have examples of welcome letters/itineraries that many BDW brides have used. Just do a search for "welcome letters" & many of those threads will come up.

Here are a few existing threads that should help:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/39479/welcome-letters 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/64905/welcome-letter-brochure 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/59032/oot-welcome-letter 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/29569/oot-bag-welcome-letter 

On the day of my wedding, the WC had me instruct all of my guests to meet her in the lobby at a specific time & then she walked everyone to our ceremony location.

Your guests won't miss the beach gazebo. If they meet in the lobby and are standing in the lobby,  facing the beach, they would walk towards the left of the resort & they will run right into your ceremony location. Any guests staying in Junior Suites will be closer to the beach gazebo, than those guests staying on the other side of the resort (near the Plantation restaurant).

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbusby 

Hi Yolanda, thank you so much for sharing your experience and your pictures.  You looked amazing.  I saw in your pictures that you were on a dance floor.  Was that at the club on the resort or one of the restaurants?  I am getting married at the ROR this July and I am having a private ceremony at the Plantation restaurant for 4 hours.  We are also having a DJ and I was wondering what the restaurant looked like and how it would be set up for dancing and all the other wedding activities.  The wedding coordinator sent me some pictures, but I couldn't tell.  Also, what type of room were you getting ready in (standard room, junior suite, etc...)?  I am booked for the junior suite.

 

Any insight that you can provide would me much appreciated.

Hi, thanks for the compliments! The pics with dancing/dance floor were taken on the resort in the disco. After our dinner reception at Mammee Bay, we rented the disco for 2 hours privately, before it opened to the public. I was hesitant at first but in the end, I'm glad that we did that. It gave us some time to have fun with our guests privately & the party only got better once it opened up to the public.

In terms of the Plantation, it is pretty big in there & I don't think you have to worry about space. From what I can remember, the tables were set up around the perimeter of the restaurant, leaving the middle open for dancing.

We booked a suite because we knew we were going to need the extra space considering all of our luggage/oot stuff, etc. The junior suites are pretty roomy so as long as you're not having that many people come into your room to help you get ready on the day of the wedding, you should be fine. Hope that helps.
 

Originally Posted by mmcst38 

So ladies I have two questions for you first...Do we need tohave voltage adapters? My mother keeps asking me and I keep telling her no but, someone keeps telling her we do????

 

Secondly we are arriving at the resort on a Tuesday with some of our guests ( Actually some will arive about 2 hours before us) and some will be arriving the next day....how are you planning to find everyone? Give them their Welcome bags? This is just one of those little details that keeps bothering me, thanks ladies!

I didn't bring any extra adapters so I don't think you really need them. What would you use them for?

We also arrived on a Tuesday & our guests arrived on Wednesday & Thursday. We had everyone's schedules for when they would arrive so we sat in the lobby & waited for them as their arrival time got close. We loved being there to welcome everyone & to see the expressions on their faces as they got their first look of ROR.

We had a Welcome dinner at St.Ann's & that is when we gave out the oot bags. If you don't want to have a Welcome dinner, you could also ask everyone to meet you in the Lobby bar for Welcome cocktails & you could give out the oot bags then.
 

For those guests who are arriving before you, I would just ask them to meet you at the Lobby Bar or at a restaurant at a specific time. Like if you're arriving at 3pm, I'd ask them to meet up at 4pm.

I had the free wedding with about 35 guests & had the "standard" cake & there was more than enough cake to go around.

There are many BDW brides who have had a legal ceremony before their destination wedding. Try searching for "legal ceremony" or something like "getting married before dw" & you should find a ton of threads that already discuss this topic. 

Ladies, I was just reading over everything in this thread & see that many of you have discrepancies between what you were told by the WC & what you are sharing with each other. Some of the same things may have happened with us past ROR brides when you read some of the older ROR threads & because of that I can not stress this enough. Make sure that you bring copies of all email correspondence between you & the WC.

Despite the fact that Chandlyn was the coordinator at the time I was married, she honored everything that she told me & it definitely helped that I had copies of our correspondence. With the number of weddings that go on at ROR per day, it would be easy to see why everyone gets told something different even though some things should be standard across the board.

So if there's something that the present WC promised you via email & you are now finding out that that same thing is no longer available/allowed, then I would definitely remind the WC of what was promised when you meet with her a few days before your wedding.

I remember how stressful it was when it came to planning the wedding & having a certain idea of how your ceremony/reception is going to look only to find that your idea can't happen, only adds to the stress.

Hopefully all of you will have exactly what you want & will love ROR as much as I did.

I'm sorry that you don't love your dress, but if it puts you at ease, know that you're not the only one that this has happened to. There are plenty of 2 dress brides that have come & gone around BDW, so don't feel bad or crazy about not loving the dress. If you don't love it & it can't be returned, you could always look for the dress that you do love & then sell the other one. It could very well be someone else's dream dress.