geology_rocks

Awe, thanks for all the nice comments ladies! We really did have a great day and it wasn't really until the day after when we kinda added up all the mistakes and realized how off-course things went. The cake toppers are custom made by a lady in Ontario. Here's the website Finding Fimo if anyone is interested, she was awesome to deal with, very prompt and professional and did an absolutely GREAT job!!! The biggest thing that I was upset with was the minister vs officiant. I think people should be free to believe in whatever happens to get them through the day and for me, my conscience guides my actions not religion. It really did feel akward to have to say those religious things when it's not what we believe. Maybe this means we'll have to renew our vows, the proper way, on a beach in a few years! I promise I will add some more picutres once I get them! And I'll try to do up a review of the resort itself cause it was pretty darn great!

We've been back now for a few days from our May 5th wedding and I waffled about wether to write a review or not and whether I should start without pictures. I figured since I found everyone else's reviews so helpful that I shoud share my experience too. Now, I want to start off saying that we did have a wonderful time and chose a destination wedding because I didn't really care about matching table cloths and centre-pieces etc. We were however, a bit disappointed with the service we received from the weddings department at ROR. I pre-arranged a meeting time with Chandlyn so that I could plan an excursion with some of our guests and not have to worry about double-booking myself. We met at 9am on Saturday, kinda. I was directed by the front desk staff, up the stairs to Chandlyn's office. We actually didn't meet with Chandlyn at all, but with her new assistant Kenisha. We went through the standard checklist and chose our location (beach gazebo), ceremony type (civil), music type (steel drum band), cake flavor (chocolate), flowers (light pink roses & orchids) and when we wanted our champagne toast (at dinner.) I gave Kenisha a box with our cake topper, some shells for the cake and our sand ceremony vases/sand. She then told us our dinner would be at the Plantation which I thought was weird because we didn't request this, so I questioned it but she assured me that this is the location of our dinner. Only as we were leaving the meeting did Chandlyn realize that Kenisha had made a mistake and corrected it. I would have felt really bad if we, and our 26 guests, had crashed someone elses wedding dinner at the Plantation, problem solved though. On the wedding day, I woke up and ran to the balcony to check the weather, sunny and clear, AWESOME! My MOH and I had a breakfast date, then went to the spa for the total bridal package. We got manicures, pedicures, make-up and hair styles done. We had Nicole and Karine and they were fantastic, so friendly! They did a great job! After we were all beautified, we went by to my parent's room where Chandlyn was to meet us and escort us to the beach. Kenisha was to meet my husband on the beach. Well, with 2 minutes before the wedding is supposed to start, there is still no Chandlyn in our room so we walk down to the beach on our own. We'd seen a couple of weddings take place earlier in our trip so we kinda knew what to do. Once I'm down there, Kenisha tells us to line up at a certain point and wait for the music to start walking down the aisle. Once I get to the gazebo the minister (yes, i said minister) starts reading from his Bible about gathering in the prescence of God and made us repeat our vows saying "in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit." He went on and on with this religious ceremony, the whole time, I'm feeling quite uncomfortable because we are not religious in the least. Obviously, the wrong officiant was called out to perform our ceremony. Oh well, it got the job done, we're married, we're on the beach, lets enjoy it! As soon as our guests behind's left their chairs, Chandlyn and Kenisha start taking the chairs to set up the next wedding at the arch next to the gazebo, actually, we have maintenance men setting up in the background of our ceremony pictures too. They also had taken down the standard white tulle that is normally wrapped around the gazebo to use on the arch and used some frayed pink fabric instead for our wedding. I asked Kenisha if we will see her at our dinner and she assures me she will be there. FFWD a couple of picture-taking hours later and me, my husband, the MOH and best man are outside of Mammee Bay waiting for either Kenisha or Chandlyn to give us a bit of direction on how the evening will play out. Kenisha rushes past us saying she has to go to a rehearsal but will be back as soon as it was over. This is that last we saw of either Kenisha or Chandlyn on our wedding day. I thought this was a little ridiculous since the co-ordinators felt another couple's "practice" run was more important than our actual wedding day. Earlier in the day I had asked our photographer to take a few good pictures of our cake toppers since they were custom made and I loved them. When we got into Mammee Bay, he asked where the cake was, I had no idea! As we were finishing up dinner I asked the waiters about our cake and he said he didn't know anything about a cake. I took a few deep breaths and figured we could do without cake since there's a dessert buffet but I really wanted my cake toppers back. We also inquired about the champagne, which of course, the waiters hadn't received any instructions about either. After about 20 minutes or so, the waiter comes out and says they've found a cake and would we like for them to cut it up. I explain that it's kind of traditional to have the bride and groom make the first cut into a wedding cake so they plunk the cake down onto our dirty table and left us to cut and serve the cake with a butter knife. I wasn't surprised when we cut into the cake and it wasn't the flavor we ordered. It was white cake with strawberry fillilng and was delicious, but still another mistake made - at least I had my cake toppers back! I gave up on the champagne and told them not to even bother but the best man insisted we have our champagne and eventually he rounded up a couple of bottles. After our champagne toast and cake cutting we called it an evening. Those who wanted to, stayed to watch the evening's entertainment, other's went to bed. Depsite all of the mistakes made, we were married, we were in Jamaica, the weather was beautiful and we got to share it with our closest family and friends. It was a great day. Now, I realize I come across as bitter, high-maintenance, hard to please etc but I'm really not and that's why I wasn't sure if I wanted to write a review or not. We felt very disapointed after having read the many fantastic ROR wedding reviews here, and how great Chandlyn was on your wedding day. I felt that we were treated like we weren't as important as her other brides. I know she's got multiple weddings per day to co-ordinate but she should have only been 2/3 as busy as normal as there were only 2 weddings on our date. At this point, I wasn't the least little bit surprised that we never received our fruit basket, spa gift or "surprise gift". I didn't let it ruin my wedding day though! We did have a great time and I will post some pictures as I receive them. Again, sorry to be Debbie Downer, I just thought I owed it to all you great ladies on BDW to share my experience since I learned so much here! After the Ceremony How many people does it take to bustle a pick-up skirt? the elusive, slightly pale (but delicious) "chocolate cake"

Most nights, the entertainment starts with a pre-show around 9pm with the actual show starting at 9:30. I can't remember if the same thing applied to the beach party, we kinda showed up after it had already started.

They had a bunch of people up dancing for a while, then they have everyone sit down and watch the performers. THere were strongmen, fire breathers and something else... After the performers, they light the bonfire and start up the dancing music again.

The beach party was Saturday night when we were there (2 weeks ago.) The party is kind of in the middle of the beach, closer to the quiet pool but far enough away that it shouldn't be an issue with being too loud.

Quote: Originally Posted by jamaica08 ... Oh ya, and they have a service charge on using the in-room safe!!! What?!?! I know... That bothered me but I guess if you get the golden package (I think that's what it's called) - the safe is included. Our big concern with the Gran Bahia was the wedding costs - I think they have a single wedding package that starts at $1400 - which includes some of the basic stuff, ie paperwork, decorated location, semi-private dinner for up to 12, cake, etc. If you are having a lot of people (I think over 12 - we are having approx 50), you HAVE to have a private dinner reception where you have to buy plated menu meals which were crazy expensive (ie. appetizers $15-25, main entree meal $40-45, this is per person cost)... it was like having a wedding locally for pete's sake. Also, open bar was another upcharge to have during the dinner (but this is typical I find for all the resorts)... This is exactly why we went with ROR. We're leaving tonight, I'll post some sort of a review when I get back.

We're leaving tomorrow night, we'll be there until the 9th. My main source of stress right now is the insane amount of luggage sitting in my bedroom. How on Earth are we going to get it all there?!

We haven't actually had our wedding yet but I'll try to answer the questions that I can. My questions are as follows and if you can help in anyway I would soooo appreciate it!!!!! 1. My soon to be father-in-law is a paster here in the US and we would like to incorporate him into the service in some way, would that be possible to incorporate him even if it's just to say a prayer or do we need to have the Jamaican minister do the entire service? ?? 2. If we choose the religious ceremony will we be able to incorporate a unity candle lighting during the ceremony? ?? 3. We are looking at purchasing the Caprice wedding package and would like to know what the reception consists of. Is this a "sit down" dinner with music and dancing? The "reception" included with the current packages is a semi-private dinner at one of the restaurants. If you want dancing and a traditional reception that will cost extra but can be done. 4. What kind of food is served at the reception? Will the guests just order as if they were eating at a regular restaurant? It depends on the reception you choose to hav. The standard is the steak house where there is a salad bar type area and you order your entree. 5. Will we be able to have the reception right after the wedding ceremony? Depends on the time of your ceremony but most receptions don't start until 6:30 6. Will the cake be served at the reception or right after the wedding? I'm sure they can arrange whatever you ilke 7. Will we be able to provide our own cake serving set for the cake cutting? Of course you could, but do you really want to haul extra stuff down there? 8. At the reception will we be able to have our special song played so that we are able to have our first dance as a married couple to "our song"? Depends on the reception you choose. No dancing or music with the standard, included reception dinner. You could rent the disco for after your dinner or have a beach party after but those cost extra $$$ 9. What do the Caprice wedding package decorations include for the wedding ceremony? sorry 10. Do you have pictures available to send of wedding decorations, wedding locations, bouquet, boutonniere and cake designs? Check out everyone's trip reports and reviews, tons of pictures in there! 11. Does the spa offer someone to do my make-up for me (the Bride) on the wedding day? The spa can be booked in advance and can do your hair, make-up, pedicure, manicure .... 12. Is there Golf offered close to the resort? ?? probably 13. Will there be free transportation for all guests to and from the airport to the resort on both the day of arrival and the day of departure? Depends how you book your vacation package. The resort itself doesn't provide transportation but some vacation companies include transportation. Ask your TA! 14. Will we be able to hold a rehearsal dinner for the bridal party the night before the wedding? You can do almost anything for some extra $$$ 15. Does the resort offer group guide tours either free of charge or at a rate? nothing is free! from what I understand though, there are a bunch of tour operators set up at the resort. 16. Will we be able to provide our own cake topper or does the cake already come with a cake topper? Of course you can bring your own cake topper! 17. We would like to provide a welcome gift to all of our guests who will be staying at your resort? 18. If so, are we allowed to have the gifts placed in their rooms on arrival? I don't think this is available and probably not advisable, what if your guests finnagle an upgrade and never make it to their anticipated room? 19. If so, are we allowed to arrange to have them shipped to the resort prior to our arrival? I didn't ask because I read that others have been told "NO!!" 20. Will the resort offer a room block for the guests so that they are all able to stay at your resort? There are something like 800 rooms, shouldn't be a problem but I think a TA could arrange a group rate/package. Having a TA demanding deposits and stuff is a lot of stree off you, I wouldn't worry about a group rate if you're booking everything yourself. 21. How far in advance do our wedding guest's rooms need to be booked? We're leaving in 6 days and there are still some rooms available. Depends on the season I guesss. 22. Is October a good time to hold a wedding in Jamaica? It is huricane season. I remember reading that it rains a whole lot in November, not sure about October. There is a "search" feature at the top of the page. Chance are, if you come up with a question, some one else has had the same question at some point and lots of people had all sorts of information to share. Welcome and Happy planning!

For those of you that hadn't seen it, it was in an FAQ file that Valeria sent to me when she confirmed our date and time. This is what it said: How many witnesses do I need? 2 witnesses. Witnesses cannot be relatives. If no one else has had a problem, I'm hoping we won't either. Thanks everyone!

Quote: Originally Posted by jmhein I dont think that's the case for Jamaica?? If it is we should be in trouble because hubby's brother was his witness. No one seemed to have a problem and we now have our official Jamaican marriage certificate so I would say no worries...!! This is easing my worries slightly ;-) We we have 4 people with no relation to us at the wedding, one is the MOH, one is the photographer (aunt's husband) and a couple of significant others. We should be ok. I vaguely remember having to fill out witness information or something when requesting a wedding date. Does anyone know if they do anything with that info? Criminal check (haha) seriously though, what if we do need to choose someone else?

So, I noticed on the FAQ from the wedding department at ROR that our witnesses cannot be family. Ummm... Uh oh. Are they serious? We're only having 1 attendant each and FH's is his brother. What do we do? Do we get someone who isn't in the wedding party to be a witness?

You are a gorgeous girl! I LOVE you pictures, especially your signature picture. Wow, that's all I can say is WOW!!!

Wow, you guys looked really great! I espcially liked your hanging flowers.

Does anyone know what the sun situation will be like at 2pm? I'm hoping for a little shade *fingers crossed*

Oh my goodness! I bought some of that Neutrogena stuff today, it's frickin amazing! It goes on just like moisturizer and doesn't leave you smelly like something you should be drinking rather than rubbing on your skin. Let's hope it does the trick! Thanks for the advice! (Boy, it sure felt odd buying sunscreen today when it's snowed like a foot in the past few days and it's -15 degrees C!!)

I've seen several couples have done the sand ceremony at ROR. I was wondering a few things. -Was there an extra charge to set-up and perform the sand ceremony? -Did you bring the vows with you and if so, did you have to put in instructions like "bride pours sand now" etc? or did the officiant kind of direct the pouring? -Did anyone use beach sand? Did you have any problems getting it through customs? Thanks in advance! 2 more weeks, eek!!!

$80 is far cheaper than paying to go back again to get married! Can you scan your paperwork, email it to Chandlyn to get it there by the 30 day mark AND fed-ex it as well?

Thanks for all the great ideas! I tried the tanning thing, reluctantly bought 225 minutes becuase that was the cheapest package they offered, bought the goggles, bought the lotion, total $80. I went for 5 minutes and broke out in a huge itchy rash Luckily I could sell my minutes to re-coup some of the wasted cash. I will definitely have to check out the Neutrogena stuff. Has anyone tried the Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock? It sounds promising! I already bought some mattefying foundation. would that go on over top of sunscreen?

I'm looking for advice from the been there, done that crowd. How did you keep from burning on your wedding day. I'm normally a sunscreen girl since I tend to burn but I don't want to look like a greasy piggy in all my wedding pictures (nor do I want to look like a lobster!) Is there a good, non-greasy sunscreen that you can recommend? Moisturizer with sunscreen? Pay someone to follow me around with a really big umbrella? (I'm joking about the last one of course!) I'm at a loss, maybe I should have signed the papers inside and booked the wedding under the safety of darkness.

Great pictures! You looked very pretty!

Congratulations! You guys looked great on your wedding day. Ok, now, spill ALL of the details!

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully you'll find lots of helpful information and friendly people here! Happy planning!

Have an awesome time! I'm so jealous that you're going to have the opportunity to meet up with some people from this thread. From the "When's your ROR wedding" thread it doesn't look like anyone's even going to be there at the same time as me As for stuff to do? Do something nice for yourself, have a bubble bath or do some yoga in your living room. And go through your trip in your head to make sure you have all your paperwork, flight confirmations, resort confirmation, etc...

Quote: Originally Posted by MarchBride I'm desparately seeking a TA for my wedding. Can someone please share with me the contact details for Norma and Lees Travel Tours? Thanks. From their website (Welcome to Lees Taxi and Tours Jamaica by Lees Elite Travel & Tours Ltd., Taxi and Tours in Jamaica, Jamaica Taxi and Tours - www.leestaxiandtoursjamaica.com - [email protected])... Leroy Villiers or Norma Lee-Villiers 54-56 Main St. P.O. Box 6083, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica W.I. 876-974-6234, After hours Calls 876-487-6793 Welcome to Lees Taxi and Tours Jamaica by Lees Elite Travel & Tours Ltd., Taxi and Tours in Jamaica, Jamaica Taxi and Tours - www.leestaxiandtoursjamaica.com - [email protected] - [email protected] Welcome to Lees Taxi and Tours Jamaica by Lees Elite Travel & Tours Ltd., Taxi and Tours in Jamaica, Jamaica Taxi and Tours - www.leestaxiandtoursjamaica.com - [email protected] - [email protected] This is the email that Norma emailed me from... [email protected]

Mine was $350 +tax for hemming and bustle. Way too much money in my opinion. The bulk of the cost was for the hemming and I don't have any detailing on the bottom of my dress.