Indigo

It is so nice to see more RMB reviews coming in...Im sure future brides will GREATLY appreciate it. Congratulations, you looked beautiful!

Congratulations...you looked beautiful and happy and that is what is important.

Congratulations LilPaisley. Oh how I miss Jamaica and RMB. We have already booked our anniversary trip to Couples Negril and I can't wait to get back. Indigo

Quote: Originally Posted by Mother of Bride Quick Question--read somewhere that Michael (from Photo shop) does not accept credit card payment for photography and video....did you find that to be true? When my husband and I initially met with Maxine of Photoshop we paid cash (U.S. Dollars) for our package; however, after we reviewed our wedding pics we upgraded our package and did not have cash on us to cover the extra cost. My husband wanted to pay by credit card but Maxine told us that she would need special approval to accept credit cards. We didn't have time to wait around for approval because we were scheduled to go on an excursions so we went across the street to the ATM (this ATM dispenses U.S. Dollars) and got cash. HTH.

Quote: Originally Posted by Zinski Congrats! I'm glad you liked MoBay. I just joined this site and I've been searching everywhere for a MoBay review! I can't wait (long way to go though!). Question - do you pick the ceremony site, reception site, and flowers once you get down there and see everything or do you have to choose everything beforehand via emails and photos? Hi Zinski, It's up to you on how you would like to handle everything. You can choose everything beforehand or wait until you get down there. When it comes to flowers, you may want to choose beforehand just in case your flowers are a special order. RMB uses Taiflora. You can go to their website and see if they will send you a catalog. HTH.

Quote: Originally Posted by montegobay09 hmmmm, I'm second guessing the beach ceremony too even though that was supposed to be the main idea we wanted "beach wedding' doesn't seem to work without the beach! I'm torn! didn't rmb12/4/08 get married on the beach? She said it wasn't that bad didn't she! I know there were some stupid people but for the most part I don't think it was too bad. ugh, decisions, decisions. Montegobay09 don't give up on getting married at the beach gazebo. Just let Chantelle know your concern and see how she can accommodate your request. There is enough beach space that RMB should not have a problem moving the loungers a good distance away from the gazebo during a ceremony. Both the beach gazebo and plaza gazebo are beautiful locations.

Quote: Originally Posted by YoursTruly Indigo--should we have concerns about privacy on the beach during the ceremony? One othe other RIU0MB brides mentioned stragglers being inconsiderate during the ceremony and when pic taking. Will Chantelle block the area off?? Please advise. Hello Ladies, I watched 2 weddings at the Beach Gazebo. For both of the wedding, the beach loungers were way to close for my comfort. I did not see anything blocking or separating the beach loungers. I also did not see any RMB personnel available to stop any beach lounger from potentially interrupting the ceremony. So, after watching the 2 ceremonies, my concern was about the amount of space available for seating guests at the beach gazebo and the proximity of beach loungers to the beach gazebo. I don't think there is enough space to seat more than 20-30(?) guest in that area unless RMB place chairs on the grass. When I had my meeting with Chantelle I presented my concerns to her and she said that they would move the loungers further away from the ceremony site. Nevertheless, we chose to go with the plaza gazebo because it is a fairly quiet area of the resort. RMB hosts their evening shows near the plaza gazebo. So, during the day everyone is on the beach (near the beach gazebo) and in the evening everyone moves to the area where the shows are held (near the plaza gazebo). So, our ceremony was fairly private/quiet and our dinner (which was on the upper level end of Mahoe Bay that is near the beach gazebo) was very private/quiet. I got the impression that Chantelle is new at being a wedding coordinator; however, she seems like she tries really hard to make your ceremony just what you want it. She had me give her a sheet of paper with every "extra" thing I would like for her to do. She says she uses that on the wedding day to ensure that she completed everything I requested. Chantelle generally arrives before 9:00 am but she doesn't leave until 7 or 8 pm in the evening. I sat and chatted with her one night as she waited for someone to come pick her up from work and she appears to be someone who really works hard at what they do. So, again, let Chantelle know how far you would like for the beach loungers to be moved and I'm sure she will try to accommodate your request. Without a doubt, both the RMB beach and plaza gazebo's are beautiful places for a wedding ceremony. HTH. Indigo

Hello Ladies...just adding pics of reception setup at RMB. I also added more resort pics to my photobucket album. RMB Photobucket album: indigoweddingpics/RMB Gazebos - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Quote: Originally Posted by montegobay09 Fun!! I can't wait till it's my turn. Thanks so much for the info! RMB is a beautiful resort. You will have tons of fun.

Quote: Originally Posted by poppy2 Hi Indigo I have tried reading all of your messages as you are very prepared. I want to know if you can answer a few questions. I have booked the Caprice Package but after reading everything I think I will go with the free with upgrades. We have booked the Mahoe Steak House for our reception. The wedding is at 4 p.m. and then I guess from what I am reading they tell us when the dinner is. Are we separate from the rest of the guests or do we have to book it. If we want to have the dances such as mother and son, daughter and father, etc. Where do we do that.? I won't overwhelm you with questions, but any help would be greatly appreciated. Hi Poppy2, I don't mind answering any questions you may have. I received so much help from BDW ladies and I would be more than happy to help someone else. Our wedding was at 4pm as well. It was at the Plaza Gazebo so after the ceremony, me and my husband and our bridal party did our exit walk down the plaza gazebo and met Chantelle at the table she setup with our Champagne and rum punch. Chantelle handed me, my husband and our guest champagne. The photographer and videographer continued to video and take pictures. The Photographer ask me and my husband to pose for numerous pictures while our guest took their own pics of us, socialized or enjoyed their beverages. Since our wedding was at the plaza gazebo our guest also went to the bar for mixed drinks, etc. My husband and I did leave our guest for about 40 minutes to take pictures on the beach. And then we returned and took more pictures at the gazebo with our wedding guest. Our photo video time went quickly because the sunset at about 6:00 pm. Everyone stayed at the gazebo and socialized or enjoyed a drink from the bar and then we all went to Mahoe Bay for the dinner/reception. If I am not mistaken, you will need to let Chantelle know which dinner slot you want. I believer there are 2 (6:30 or 9:00 pm). You can have your dances after the ceremony on the beach or at the plaza gazebo. Just let Chantelle know your plans and she will figure out a way to make it work. Typically, you are only allowed only an hour at the wedding site, according to Chantelle but because I was the last wedding of the day, we were allowed to stay and party as long as we wanted. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions. Ingido

Quote: Originally Posted by jjurick Hi Indigo, Does the resort have beach parties throughout the week? Or was it a special event when you were there? Thanks! The beach party is held once a week. I believe it was on a tuesday evening when we were there. RMB changes the lineup of activities periodically so it may be on another day now.

Quote: Originally Posted by stessa82 Thanks for sharing! I'm actually looking to hire a Steel Drum band. You don't by any chance know the name of the band, do you? (Figured it was a long shot - but decided to ask anyways!) Happy Holidays!! No, I didn't get the name of the band. Sorry.

Quote: Originally Posted by jjurick Wow Indigo! Thank you!!! What excursions did you do? Were the flowers included in your package on the gazebo? Everything looks great. Our group went on the Ocean safari, horse back riding and ziplining excursions. We also went into town to the Hip Street for some shopping. A few of our guest also went to Margaritaville one evening. The flowers on the arch of the plaza gazebo are included in the free package. HTH.

Quote: Originally Posted by jjurick I have the free package so I get 45 minutes and paying with two hours with Michael. I guess I just don't know how much time I should have set up before the ceremony and how much time after is sufficient. Hi jjurick, What time is your ceremony? Our ceremony was at 4:00 pm and Chantelle told us to let our guest know that they could arrive at 3:45. All of our guest were there at 3:45 pm; however, Chantelle was still setting up and waiting for our aisle runner to be delivered so Michael took pics of the guest at that time while the videographer ran video. When considering how to split your time, you may want to have time for Michael and his assistant to photograph you, your husband and your guest as they arrive to the ceremony. I would think 45 minutes is a good time for those pics, my ceremony lasted about 30 minutes and then Michael took pics at the Plaza Gazebo and then we left to go to the beach for pics afterwards then we returned and took pics with guests and bridal party. We booked Michael for the same amount of time as you (2 hours and 45 minutes). Our ceremony started about 30 minutes late (4:30 pm) but Michael didn't charge us stay longer for the beach pics. Also, video is priceless. I wish we had someone video our wedding in addition to the videographer so we could have raw footage. The videographer edited the video and it is really nice; but, we also would have loved raw footage of our ceremony.

Hello Ladies, my husband and I have been going thru our pics and videos and found video of the Steel Band and Beach Party. I posted the video on YouTube. The links are below. Enjoy. YouTube - Riu Montego Bay - Steel Band YouTube - Riu Montego Bay Beach Party - Part I of 7 YouTube - Riu Montego Bay - Beach Party Part 2 of 7 YouTube - Riu Montego Bay Beach Party - Part 3 of 7 YouTube - Riu Montego Bay Beach Party - Part 4 of 7 YouTube - Riu Montego Bay Beach Party Part 5 of 7 YouTube - Riu Montego Bay Beach Party - Part 6 of 7 YouTube - Riu Montego Bay Beach Party - Part 7 of 7

Site map and JTL Excursions Attached. JTL 1.pdf JTL 2.pdf RMB Site Map.pdf RMB Site Map 2.pdf

As promised ladies, I have attached a copy of the RMB site map and JTL Excursion list. I also created a photobucket album for RMB pics (especially the gazebos) for future RMB brides. I think one of the pics may be of RMB12/4/08 wedding. I took pic on December 4th. HTH. Chantelle - RMB Wedding Coordinator Michael (standing behind my DH) of Photoshop Maxine of Photoshop RMB Gazebo pics More Pics: indigoweddingpics/RMB Gazebos - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Quote: Originally Posted by shellb Beautiful pics, love your dress, and your colors. Congratulations! Thank you Shelb. Our colors were by happenstance. We just couldn't seem to find a consistent color for watermelon. So, by the pics it looks like we had 3 different colors. But DH and I decided we wouldn't stress over the small stuff. Instead, we just wanted to enjoy our special day.

Quote: Originally Posted by cdc0427 The arch at the wedding was pretty, Are those the flowers you brought or they set that up? My setup was included in the free package. I brought the red and ivory tulle which Chantelle used to create bows on the rails of the gazebo.

Hello ladies, I posted my RMB review in the Wedding Review Section. I will post the site map and Jamaica Tours LTD Excursions list to this thread shortly. I have a lot of errands to run but I hope to have all my pics up and docs uploaded today.

Quote: Originally Posted by KellyG24 Congratulations Indigo!! Did you purchase the cocktail hour option, or was that included with your package? The 2 bottles of Champagne was included in the free package. Chantelle added rum punch for free and an extra bottle of champagne for $25. Chantelle set it up like a "cocktail hour". Also, since I was the last wedding of the day and my ceremony was at the Plaza Gazebo my guest used the Exodus bar to order more "rounds". It was perfect. When I get an opportunity I will post more pics of both gazebos and other RMB pics that RMB brides may need to see. HTH.

Sorry ladies, I can't get snapfish to work so I am moving my pics to Photobucket. This is a test to see if it works. http://s442.photobucket.com/albums/q...goweddingpics/

Pics: http://www2.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=155527559 PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING: 1.Wedding website – ewedding.com We used ewedding to provide family and friends with information about the wedding and details about one another. I love the site because we can post pictures and videos. We have already received phone calls from family members who could not attend wanting to know when we would update our website with pics and videos. It is very convenient. Also, guest could leave a few kind words in our guestbook and our website will be converted to a keepsake CD. This is one of the best decisions we made regarding the wedding. We have received countless compliments and it has been a money saver in keeping family and friends updated. 2.Invitations – DIY and email I first emailed family and friends with STD and I followed up with passport invitations. Thanks to all of you BDW ladies with this project. I absolutely loved putting the invitations together. 3.Ceremony Programs-DIY This is another DIY project. I put our program on a hand fan that I created from scratch. This was another good decision. Our guest used the fans and we received compliments. 4.Flowers Okay. Since RMB was a new resort I didn’t know what to expect when it came to bouquets and gazebo decoration so I tried to DIY. I spent about $250 total on both natural touch and silk flowers for bouquets, bouts and gazebo decoration. About $200 was spent at 1800flowermall.com on natural touch flowers. However, on my wedding date, I didn’t used 1/3 of the flowers. Since I changed my mind on which gazebo I would use I decided not to use the flowers to decorate the plaza gazebo. Instead, I used the free bouquet, my DH used the free bout, we ordered a hand corsage and my MOH used my natural touch bouquet. 5.Dresses a.Brides I purchased my dress from RK Bridal in NY on sale. It is a Davinci. The closer I got to the wedding the more I wanted to change the dress to one that was less poofy; but, I didn’t. I received a lot of compliments on my dress from family, friends and RMB guests. So, in the end, I’m glad I didn’t spend ANY MORE MONEY! LOL. b.MOH My MOH and 1 of my bride’s maid got their dress from David’s Bridal. My second bride’s maid got her dress from Lord N Taylor 6.Shoes - DSW had several clear sandals on sales for less than $10 so I jumped on that deal and brought 3 pair of clear sandals. 7.Seamstress I used Estee of Gaithersburg, MD for my alterations and her prices are incredible. She charged me $185 to remove the champagne sash from the dress and put an apple red sash on the dress, she took my dress in 2 inches, put a 4 point bustle on my dress and so much more. So, I am very happy with her work. 8.Pre-travel Handbook I created an 18 page handbook that I don’t believe many people read so if I could do it again, I wouldn’t do the pre-travel handbooks. I felt good about doing them because I felt that my family and friends couldn’t say I didn’t give them the info they needed. But they kept asking me questions that were answered in the handbook. Gotta luv Family. LOL. 9.Airlines a.Air Jamaica. Great roundtrip flight. My only problem is that I had to put my dress in the overhead bin but it didn’t wrinkle at all. I absolutely loved the direct flight. b.Southwest Airlines - No complaints from my guest. They flew into Fort Lauderdale and took Air Jamaica into Montego Bay. c.Spirit Air- My guest absolutely hated this airline. Will not use again. My guests didn’t like the flight delays coming and going and the crowding. d.American Airlines - Haven’t heard any complaints yet from my guests who used AA. 10.Wedding Favors Our wedding favor were 1) a personalized CD of some of our favorite reggae and r & b songs, 2) personalized Hershey kisses 3) Coasters and 4) measuring spoons. We bought our wedding favors from myweddingfavors.com and the personalized kisses from the knot.com. Our order arrived quickly. WEDDING: 1.Wedding Coordinator Chantelle is great to work with because she really wants you to have your dream wedding. Chantelle was the one trying to hunt us down. My DH and I were all over the resort enjoying activities so Chantelle left us a message in our room with her personal cellphone number so we could call her ASAP. We met with her on Friday morning and she had me write out the things I wanted her to do for me. Our ceremony was suppose to begin at 4pm but I think we started at around 4:45pm. We ordered an aisle runner that morning and it had not arrived so Chantelle had to wait for its arrival. Also, Chantelle said Saturday 12/6/08 was the first time she had 3 weddings in one day so I had already expected some delay. So the later start did not bother me. 2.Welcome Dinner. Our welcome dinner was in Rose Hall Restaurant. It was pretty simple. We went to the area of the restaurant that was not occupied and start moving the tables together. Restaurant staff saw what we were doing and took over with ensuring we had enough seating for all of our guest. So, if you want a welcome dinner, it would be no problem organizing one in the Rosehall Restaurant. 3.Aisle Runner thru TaiFlora. Aisle runner cost $33 with tax. It was nice. I just wish it could have been a little bit longer. 4.Plaza Gazebo Decorations. We chose to get married in the plaza gazebo because it was more private. The beach gazebo was beautiful but less private than the plaza gazebo. The plaza gazebo is inside of the Exodus Bar which is outdoors so our cocktail hour was seamless. 5.Wedding Music. We provided Chantelle with two CD’s that were clearly labeled. The first CD was our prelude music. This is the music that she played while guest arrived. The second CD was the bridal music. She took notes when each track should be played and she did an outstanding job. 6. Renova Spa gets two thumbs up and a snap from me. LOL. I had not planned on using their service. However, I was not happy with the manicure I received at home so I made an appointment to see if they could make my manicure look better. Well, Aubrey (?) did a wonderful job with my manicure and when she found out about my wedding in a few hours she convinced me to have makeup and hair done there. And I am happy that I did. She did a fantastic job on a short notice. She kept telling me she wanted me to look like a princess and she did. Everyone was surprised when they say me because I hadn’t intended on using their service. Aubrey is sooooo sweet. When I passed the salon to get to Mahoe Bay she ran out of the salon and gave me a big hug. Cocktail Hour 2 bottles of champagne and rum punch came in the free package so we ordered an additional bottle of champagne and Chantelle set up a table with the champagne and glasses. After the ceremony my guest drank the champagne and socialized. Then they went over to the bar and ordered drinks and began toasting our wedding. It was great. Guest at the hotel and friends and family were all around toasting us. Mahoe Bay/Reception Dinner - The food was great and it felt very private. The only thing I would change is that they didn’t set up a cake table. Instead they placed the cake before me and DH and we cut it there. I think I would have preferred a separate cake table. We used Photoshop for both photography and video. We really love our video we are glad we decided to definitely have video. Although our ceremony started late, I have been told that Michael started taking pics at 3:45 and did not stop until after 6:00 pm. We have several pics in the sunset. We only paid for 1 hour 45 minutes but he stayed longer. We are pleased with both the video and photogaphy. EXCURSIONS: 1.Ocean Safari 2.Hip Strip/Blue Diamond Shopping Center 3.Zip Lining/Canopy Tour 4.Horseback Riding with Swim Important RMB Notes:There are no elevators in buildings 1, 3 and 4. There is an elevator in building 2. Didn’t visit buildings 5 and 6Mahoe Bay is where lunch is served dailyRose Hall, Italian and Asian Restaurants are right next door to one anotherYou are allowed to book reservations for the restaurants up to 4 days in advanceWrite an itemized list of everything you want Chantelle to do for you and provide her with the list. She uses this list to make sure that she completes all of your requests. Be sure to go over each item at your meeting with her to ensure that your request is doable. Please feel free to ask any questions. I would love to help in any way I know how.

Hello Ladies, I only have a few moments while DH is finishing some work related tasks online to let you know that the wedding was beautiful. All I can say is OMG....RMB is a beautiful resort with plenty of activities on site. Jamaica Tours LTD/Fun Jet and Sunquest offers excursions/tours if you want to leave the resort. Across the street is Blue Diamond strip mall and right outside of RMB is Burger Kings. There are a few things that I would have done differently if I had the necessary facts so I will try to provide a very detail review when I return home. But for now, here are some things that come to mind: 1. The free flowers/bouquet was fine for me. You will get an opportunity to see what it looks like when I am able post pictures. Chantelle showed me 4 bouquets (I believe bouquet 149-152 in the TaiFlora catalog). My MOH used my DIY real touch bouquet. 2. We upgraded our cake for only $24 ($12 a pound) and we received a two tier cake. 3. We used Michael for both photography and video and he did an outstanding job. 4. Our wedding was at the Plaza Gazebo which is in the Exodus Bar so right after the ceremony our guest was served with champagne and had a choice of going up to the bar for specialty drinks. 5. If it has not already been posted, I will post the site map and Funjet/Jamaica Tours Excursions list. 6. Mahoe Bay is away from all of the other restaurants so your reception dinner feels very private. 7. Chantelle is very helpful. She told me that saturday, december 6th was the first day she had a full wedding day. 8. RMB only does 3 weddings a day (noon, 2pm and 4pm) I will fill you ladies in on the rest when I return. HTH. Indigo

Quote: Originally Posted by CanadianBride84 I emailed RMB at [email protected] the other day asking for Michaels info, and they told me I could hire an outside photographer, as long as I purchased a day pass which I found weird, because I thought we couldn't. I do like the looks of Michaels work, so we will likely just use him. Hi CanadianBride84. Was the email from Chantelle? After reading ROR threads regarding photography, I was concerned about the consistency of that policy. We decided to not worry about it and just use Michael. We want our time in Jamaica to be stress free. Thank you for the update.