beyondsmitten

I saw a very similar chart on another site and used it to organize and shop for my bridal gown My dress is Watters 1036B and is sold in many places online and at brick and mortar stores. I priced the dress everywhere and at the end of the day decided that $300 off is $300 off, no matter where you get the dress. I found a shop that offers a bargin price that includes all the same services as their full price with the exception of alterations. I also found an tailor to do expert bridal alterations at about the same price as the salon would charge. Hope someone can also find this chart helpful! BRIDAL DRESS PRICES UPLOAD.doc

Tensing Pen is on the cliffs and not ideal for young children, I would say ok for 10 and up. Rockhouse does not allow children under 12 I think. On the beach Idle Awhile was LOVELY! We're going back. Kuyaba was very nice and Coral Seas Beach - now called something else, is no frills but fine.

Unveiling my masterpiece - a very detailed wedding timeline. I modified a timeline I saw on somewhere and have found it to be very helpful in coordinating all the details. Instead of calling it a timeline I called mine a run of show and have seperate columns for the BRIDE the BRIDAL PARTY and the COORDINATOR and ALL the things everyone is supposed to do and where they are supposed to be all day long on the big day. It ends with a VIP list of important people like members of the family and the bridal party so that the photographer and coordinator will know who the VIP people are. Hope this can help someone else! UPLOAD run of show.doc

Have you written your vows? Want to share them and your inspiration for them? Will you memorize or read? Will they be adapted for your destination? Ours are below: VOWS I promise to seek truth when tempted by lies To stay present when I want to turn away To choose compassion when anger feels easier To embrace your needs and care about them like my own To give and receive comfort during hard times To share my heart with those you love To make your family people that I care about because you do To nuture you with honesty, joy and passion To grow with you To be a witness to your life and invite you to be a witness to mine adapted from the book Lies at The Altar by Dr. Robin Smith WEDDING POEM & PRAYER Too WEDDING PRAYER Love, Joy, Understanding, Friendship, Courage... In joining your lives may God grant you both... Love... to afford each other a special quality of time together. Joy...in the accomplishments of one another. Understanding...that your interests and desires will not always be the same. Friendship...based on mutual trust. Courage...to speak of a misunderstanding and to work on a solution before the setting of the sun. Compassion...to comfort each other in pain and sorrow. Foresight...to realize rainbows follow rainy days. Imagination...to keep with you part of the child you used to be. Mirth...from your sense of humor. Awareness...to live each day with the knowledge that there is no promise of tomorrow. May God bless you and keep you in the Palm of His hand. WEDDING POEM And I Have You Rain has drops Sun has shine Moon has beams That make you mine Rivers have banks Sands for shores Hearts have heartbeats That make me yours Needles have eyes Though pins may prick Elmer has glue To make things stick Winter has Spring Stockings feet Pepper has mint To make it sweet Teachers have lessons Soup du jour Lawyers sue bad folks Doctors cure All and all This much is true You have me And I have you Written by Nikki Giovanni

JAMAICAN CAKE BAKER! As promised I have tracked down a local cake baker (after a recent trip to Negril) who makes beautiful wedding cakes in Jamaica. He can make traditional jamaican rum and fruit cakes as well as other "traditional" western style wedding cakes. With photos he can even recreate designs or cake styles from other bakers. His cakes are "straight from the source" as many of the hotels and wedding planners in Negril and surrounding areas hire him as a vendor to make the cakes that you would order from the hotel. His name is Pete and his direct number is 876-852-4522. He is based in Negril but can deliver to other parts of Jamaica including Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. You must call him for pricing etc. as cakes vary in size and fillings, decorations. His pricing should be reasonable but everything is negoitable so I recommend that do you best to stay within your budget. Enjoy your cake!

My Jamaican fiancee knows someone who can bake your rum cake and bring it to you in Ocho Rios. I'll be there next week and can post the info.

My advice: LET GOD AND LET GO ... People act so funny about weddings, who knows why she "can't attend" if she does not come she will most likely regret it. It is a dissapointment but you have the right attitude about it, just proceed without her, and try your best not to let it taint your whole relationship with her. If she can't make it you can sit down after the honeymoon and watch the DVD with her. I'd try again to get her to help with the guest list (with no mention of her attending)... hopefully she can provide the assistance you need. My sister, who is in the bridal party balked at staying at the same resort as the wedding. She said I couldn't control her and everything she did just because it was my wedding ?!? The resort does not have TV, she mentioned. I explained that i hoped we would get ready TOGETHER the bridesmaids, the matron of honor, our mother. There were wedding events, dinners, lunches etc. and who goes to Jamaica and sits in the room to watch TV? Then I left it alone. She can stay wherever she wants. Show up if she wants or not. If she is late to the wedding she can watch the DVD and see the parts she missed.

I wrestled with this idea and in the end chose to have an adult only reception. Almost everyone invited with kids havechildren under the age of 10. I have no children but my fiancee has a son. While the son is a part of the ceremony, he is also not invited to the reception. I planned to arrange for a sitter (my fiancee is Jamaican and has friends who can sit during the reception) a DVD and pizza and puzzle for the boys. I took a poll of my friends with kids and most did not plan to travel with them. At that time I thought about having a "children's reception" but in the end decided that I would not bother. I don't know if most parents would leave their kids with a sitter they did not know in a foreign country. I have since learned that more of my guests will be making a family vacation out of the wedding. All of them know the children are welcome at the ceremony but are not invited to attend the reception. They can choose to use a sitter we arrange for my nephew and stepson or not. I love my nephew and sat through a wedding reception with him. He had fun, I did not. Of course this would be in a different capacity but we did not want a "family friendly" reception full of kids so we are not having one. I have not thought for one minute that I should change my mind.

I too considered Negril Escape before sticking with my original choice, Tensing Pen. I called and left a message and it took about a week for a response. By then I was firmly moving ahead with Tensing Pen. I liked that it could accomodate a large group, they have a large outdoor area for receptions and ceremony, and a beautiful castle or lighthouse or something. All of this can be seen on their website or try visiting :Negril Jamaica - Negril Onestop Jamaica Resorts and choose cliff resorts to see more. This site also list the wedding package options and prices, very helpful if comparing. I stuck with Tensing because I thought the rooms looked a little 2 starish. I didn't want my guests to travel so far to stay in a two star resort. I liked that it was artistic and different, but still did not feel that it was nice enough to hold the wedding. You may, of course, feel differently.

I don't think it is unusual to wait so long for a response, it seems to be the norm. I did recieve a catalog from them via the Tensing Pen resort coordinator but was not really impressed with the choices. I sent photos of bouquets, again via the hotel coordinator, about 6 weeks ago. I don't know if she fowarded them directly but I never got a response about pricing of them. I will be in Jamaica to meet with the Tensing Pen Coordinator next week, and requested that the florist be there. I have not gotten confirmation yet she will attend, but I too have begun to consider silk options.

I was going to suggest white house black market too! I found a great ombre dress there that I will wear for my welcome dinner, sleeveless and dressy it can easily be made casual with some flat patent leather black sandals, and oh, it makes my legs look great!

I think the movement in the earrings will be beautiful, while the cuff looked beautiful in pictures often when you get things in the mail, they just don't meet your expectations. I shopped on eimitations.com and was quite happy with the prices and the look upon arrival of some of their selections, and they have a 10% discount for all things "bridal"

I love that dress, very similar to the the chiffon dress I chose, a Bill Levekoff 633 which is only $138.

I think you have to decide what amenities you want at your wedding. Try visiting: Elizabeth & James at Tensing Pen, Negril Jamaica - June 30, 2007 - Negril Weddings which has beautiful photos of a wedding at Tensing Pen and sold me on the location.

You know Tammy this policy seems to be pretty common for most resorts, high end or not. Some either restrict outsiders or charge you a fee just to use them. You have to really weigh what you want and if the LOCATION is what matters to you more than PHOTOS then this is the place for you, if not keep searching until you find a place that meets your needs. I don't know what you hope to get out of a BOYCOTT? My location is beautiful, but provides a minimial level (virtually none) of communication before the wedding and charges $300 fees for EVERY outside vendor. I have to keep my fingers crossed that once I arrive things will go smoothly since I can't really talk to them beforehand AND I have to pay for my own uncle to officate my wedding, but that is the choice I made to have a lush, intimate property to myself and my guests for the weekend. I could have chosen something else but weighed my options. That is what you have to do too!

I ordered TONS of stuff from there for my wedding. On sale are wire balls in three different sizes that look BEAUTIFUL when orchids are added and they are suspended from the ceiling to create an "altar" . I also fell in love with the idea of mercury glass and used the vase on sale for $2.50 each from CB2 as vases to decorate our reception tables. Loved this website!

Someone already recommended 3 dives. They had THE BEST meal I ate in Jamaica and I stayed at Rockhouse (my fiancee works there!) LOVED it, the only place I returned to. My welcome dinner will be at Rockhouse and the wedding at Tensing Pen, but I would have jumped to have a casual family dinner around picnic tables with a bonfire at 3 Dives.

I am using sungold and will be in Jamaica to meet with them next Friday. I have heard wonderful things and fell in love with pictured they took of knottie lizziedivine. My wedding is not until Jan of 09 but can give you an update when I return week after next. They will be shooting my wedding at Tensing Pen.

I am getting married at Tensing Pen and I found the grounds to be beautiful, lush and so picturesque that while I considered other locations I thought that the property so lovely, especially the views of the ocean, that I continued with the reservation. The resort is also small and intimate, and for my wedding I wanted it to feel as if we had the whole place to ourselves. I am not a big resort kind of vacationer, and truly prefer to avoid large "hotel block" types of locations. I can tell you about my experience so far.... There is a wedding "coordinator" who is virtually impossible to communicate with BEFORE you arrive. I am not sure what her true role is, because they insist that ALL arrangements be made through her. So all the details for the florist, officiant, music, decor etc are supposed to coordinated with her in addition to room reservations. I get minimal responses to questions and have to request things multiples times and have waited weeks for replies. Phone messages and e-mails are unreturned. When you actually get the coordinator on the phone she is very nice but apparently has not seen that movie with Jennifer Lopez where the "coordinator" works to make "make it happen" and avails herself to your every request. I've done alot of research on the experience of other brides by scouring boards and blogs about Tensing Pen. All of them give the resort an A once you arrive at the property with regard to service. So, I just pretend the coordinator does not exist and make plans on my own. I don't want to give up my dreams of a beautiful wedding on the cliffs which includles candelight, cream orchids, hanging chandliers, and beautifally dressed tables of mercury glass and organza. I just resolved myself to plan ahead and achieve this without the support of the hotel until I arrive. I live in a part of the United States that has many services that ship to Jamaica. I plan to purchase all my decorations, favors, welcome gifts, programs and flowers (silk) and ship them to Jamaica about 6 weeks before the wedding. The resort has a vendor list, if you choose a vendor not on their list you must pay a vendor fee. The fees are about $300 but nothing is in writing and in frustration when I contacted the photographer (because I did not hear back from the coordinator), I was told that without using the hotel to make reservations I would incur a fee. This photographer is on the approved list !*!Loco right! Well, after the inital conversations where I confirmed our photographer for nearly every other detail outside of the menu and room reservations I began to proceed without them. For example, I know the size of the tables, the coordinator did tell me that, but don't know what if any linens are offered by the hotel. I'll just make table overlays and runners to match my theme. Total cost for fabric is about $117, much cheaper than rentals anyway. I know the name of florist (Tai Flora) and have seen their catalog. I asked for pricing about 6 weeks ago, no reply yet. But since I can't contact them directly and seem about as slow as Tensing Pen I've moved on. I bought orchid stems for vases for the tables and will try to get faux bouquets for the bridal party. DONE I did meet a florist in Negril, Floral Fantasies, and they have a very friendly website, but if I use them at Tensing Pen I will incur a fee. I'll be going for a visit in April, and I am sure many details and questions can be resolved at that time. Things that I don't seem to make any headway with over the phone.

Hi, I am getting married at Tensing Pen in Negril Jamaica January 24 and have tons of favor and decoration ideas to share for destinations weddings. While a starfish inspired my decor, much of it is chic, elegant and built from the theme colors of orange, white and gray. Tensing Pen is difficult, if not impossible to communicate with BEFORE you arrive so any previous experience with the resort of a wedding there would be appreciated!