Anna83

We had a welcome cocktail hour for our guests the night most everyone arrived. I also planned a group trip to Dunn's River Falls and a couple other places one day. I just invited everyone along before the trip, so nobody felt obligated to go. Our guests congregated in the same spot every night if they wanted to be with the group. I wouldn't worry about planning something for every night in advance. If I were a guest at a destination wedding, I wouldn't want to be told what to do every night. Your guests are on vacation, don't be afraid to let them do their own thing. You'll be surprised how much they will get together on their own. We had a total of 35 people, and that was fine for the free dinner at our resort, but you might want to check with yours. I think you will have a hard time making a dinner reservation for your whole group, but like I said before, let them do their own thing. They may not want to spend every night with 30 other people.

I don't have a price list, but have you checked out 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] I worked with them to do a tour for our group. We went to Dunn's River, Shaw Park and Gardens and Margaritaville. We also had some time to do some shopping. It was $45 per person. All of our guests loved it. Norma was great to work with and got back to me fairly quickly. I suggest you send her an email with your questions.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jamaicabride409 Can you use your credit card instead of travelers checks to pay for everything? Will Chandlyn accept that? Chandlyn does accept a credit card. Keep in mind that most credit card companies charge a fee for using the credit card in a different country.

We signed up for the river tubing at our resort. We booked our trip through Apple Vacations, and on the second day of our trip, we had a meeting with our Apple representative where they offered us different tours. I would think it would be offered at all of the resorts, but I'm not sure.

We payed Chandlyn in travellers checks. I also payed the salon on travellers checks. If you use travellers checks at the salon, they require a picture ID. I didn't know this, and I went for my appointment, I had to walk all the way across the resort to get my ID to pay.

After I had the bouquet arranged the way I wanted, I wrapped green floral tape around it tightly. You can buy the tape in any craft store in the floral department. It sticks to itself. I wouldn't use hot glue, as hot glue has a tendency not to stick in heat and humidity. I left the stems long on the flowers, and then trimmed them to the desired length, then wrapped the ribbon around the stem. The bouquet is very secure. I made the little frames for the pictures as well.

I don't think it should be a problem. We brought granola bars for everyone. I think as long as the food is in it's original package, you should be okay.

I booked a private tour to Dunn's River Falls, Shaw Botanical Gardens, Margaritaville and a shopping area through Lee's Tours. It was pretty much an all day trip, and everyone loved it. It was $45 per person ane Lee's Tours was great to work with. We also did a river tubing trip which was a lot of fun. Some of our guests did the blue mountain bike tour, and had mixed reviews of it. Most said they could have skipped it.

I made my own bouquet. I wanted to do it in lillies, but I found I needed a lot of smaller "filler flowers" to make it work. I just played with the flowers and kept adding to it until it worked. I used a rubber band to hold the stems together while I worked with it. I suggest you just try playing with flowers you have and see how it looks. If you have a more specific question while you're working on it, I can probably help you with that. Good Luck! Here is my bouquet:

Here are some quotes that I came accross when I was doing my programs. Hope they help you! I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. – Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally We come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. – Sam Keen Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination. – Roy Goodman There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep House as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends. – Homer Marriage-a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters are written in prose. – Beverly Nichols I have spread my dreams beneath your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. – W. B. Yeats When you meet someone who can cook and do housework – don’t hesitate a minute: Marry him. – Unknown A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. – Germaine Greer Marriage is the perfection of what love aimed at, ignorant of what it sought. – Ralph Waldo Emerson A good marriage is that in which each appoints that other guardian of his solitude. – Rainer Maria Rilke There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage. – Martin Luther One should believe in marriage as in the immortality of the soul. – Honoré de Balzac Two such as you with such a master speed cannot be parted nor be swept away from one another once you are agreed that life is only life forevermore together wing to wing and oar to oar. – Robert Frost Now join hands, and with your hands your hearts. – William Shakespeare Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same. – Emily Bronte Two souls with but a single thought, Two hears that beat as one. – Franz Joseph von Munch-Bellinghausen

Quote: Originally Posted by sarah.cullen Hi all I was looking at the photoshop FAQs & noticed they advise people to bring a laptop with them so the pictures & dvd can be viewed, apparently they do have one but its not always available. I am not really keen on bringing mine for 2 reasons; 1. I don't imagine the laptop would fit in the in-room safe 2. We will be bringing enough luggage with us without having to bring this as well. If any previous brides can help it would be really helpful?? Thanks S x We did not bring a laptop with us, and they offered us theirs to use, there did not seem to be any problem with the availability. We chose not to view our pictures while we were on vacation. I didn't want to spend my vacation sitting in my room looking at pictures. We brought home a cd and viewed them at home. As for Michael being rude or cold, he is a nice guy, just a little straight forward. You have to remember, he gets the same questions from many brides a day, and it probably gets frustrating for him. That's why he started the website, to avoid getting so many emails. He is very busy and their internet service is very slow. You can do whatever you want with you pictures. When you book Michael, he asks you to fill out a worksheet and put down how many pictures you want, but you don't have to stick to it. It is almost impossible to know how many pictures you want before seeing them, or knowing how many you have to choose from. Just make sure you bring enough money if you are planning on taking your pictures before you go.

I think that is a good idea. We didn't provide disposable cameras, but we asked everyone to bring their digital camera for our "Photo Scavenger Hunt." That was a fun way to get everyone to take pictures during the reception. I'm planning on revising it a little bit and using it for our AHR, which we will provide disposable cameras for. Camera Scavenger Hunt.doc

We did not get married beforehand. I asked for a civil ceremony, I couldn't say if the officiant was a minister or a judge. I wrote out our ceremony the way I wanted it and gave him that to read. He did a great job, I was very pleased. If you are also looking to do a civil ceremony, I can email my script to you. I previously posted my program on this thread. I included most of the script in the program because I was afraid our guests wouldn't be able to hear very well. The last 2 weddings I have been to we couldn't hear what was going on and it made for a very boring ceremony. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t35632

We had a free wedding and had our reception at Mammee Bay. It was nice. The food was good. Our wedding was on a Saturday, so we went to the beach party after. I can't help with the other options, but Chandlyn's email address is [email protected]. She never gets back to you before a couple days, so don't worry if you don't hear from her right away.

We just got married at ROR. We had my brother and DH's sister sign the certificate. Nobody ever even asked if they were related to us, it wasn't an issue.

I'm also not big on makeup, and since I don't have much of my own, I had them do it and used their makeup. I was happy with the results and she kept it pretty subtle. It also held up all day. If you're not going to use the makeup after your wedding, I wouldn't spend the money.

I bought the bags from cheaptotes. Almost all of our guests used them when we were there. I doubt they are using them now, which is why I'm glad I didn't spend much more. The totes from cheaptotes are not bad quality. I'd do the same thing over if I had to.

I've actually heard 20% will not come to the reception. That's what I have been planning on. And yes, it is much higher for the DW!

I think all in all, our ceremony was about 20 minutes. I would try to keep you ceremony under a half hour. I wrote out our whole ceremony, and while I was doing it, I was afraid it would be too short, but I didn't really know what to add. However, it took longer to go through it when we were actually doing it than when I was reading it at home. It takes a few minutes for you and your bridal party to walk down the aisle (if you have a bridal party). If you do the sand ceremony or unity candle, that takes a little bit of time as well. Signing the marriage license also took time, and I never considered that before we got there.

We wanted to have a big party for our AHR, so I first started listing our family who I knew we would invite. Then I just kept branching out with close family friends and other circles. It can be hard because sometimes if you invite one person, you have to invite others to avoid hurt feelings. The amount of people you invite depends on you budget and how big of a party you invite. I think most girls on the forum will agree that even though you invite a lot of people to your wedding, most won't come. I would decide how much you can spend on a reception, as dinner for a lot of people can be quite costly. I like going to weddings that are big, I think they can be a lot of fun, so if you can afford it, why not have a big wedding? I have a feeling if you wanted to keep it small, you wouldn't be questioning it.

I think you can go without flowers if you want. My only concern is if you are not carrying a bouquet, you might feel like you don't know what to do with your hands when you're walking down the aisle.

I emailed my WC the week before I left to set up a meeting with her. I don't know about the WC at RIU Negril, but the WC at ROR was a little hard to track down. I definately did not feel that she cared about our wedding at all. I was planning on putting my dress in the closet on the plane, but when I got there they said they didn't have one. We ended up putting it in the overhead compartment. My dress was pretty puffy, but it fit, your's should fit too. I brought a steamer with to steam it once we got there and that worked great. Good Luck!

This is what I found online for their activities. An ideal Jamaica resort setting for endless activities and relaxation. At Riu Ocho Rios Hotel, you can choose your favorite activity anytime you want. There is a wonderful array of water-based activities and sports during the day, plus our special daily entertainment program for children. At night, there are an incredible variety of entertainment options, including theme shows and a disco. The resort also features an exquisite full-service spa. While massages and treatments are not included in the all-inclusive concept, they are available to provide a relaxing complement to the exciting fun-filled days and nights that are the norm at this resort. For those wishing to get out and fully experience Ocho Rios, the resort is conveniently located to all the major attractions, including the spectacular 600-foot Dunn’s River Falls. All Inclusive features Sports and activities: * Gym, table tennis, volleyball * Sauna, jacuzzi * Floodlit hard surface tennis court * Multipurpose sports pitch * Windsurfing, sailing, kayaking * Snorkelling equipment, 1 introductory scuba diving lesson in the pool Entertainment programme: * Daytime entertainment programme for children age 4 to 12 (daily) * Daytime entertainment programme for adults (daily) * Shows, Riu evening programme or live music (daily) Complimentary entrance to "Pacha" night club and drinks (open six nights a week) At the hotel (additional charge): * Billiards * Scuba diving, scuba diving school Other sports and facilities nearby (additional charge): * Assorted water sports available * Golf course and horse riding I also saw them playing horseshoes on the beach and doing beach and pool aerobics. They had paddleboats that we used, but the kayaks were all out of order when we were there.

I hand wrote all of our std's and I will be doing all of our AHR invitations the same way. I sent about 100 STD's and will be sending about 190 AHR invites. It's time consuming to handwrite, but I was always under the impression it was bad ettiquette to print them off the computer, but maybe I'm old-school. My handwriting is a mix between cursive and printing, so I vote for cursive.

I put our bags together when we got there. There is no way I could have put them together at home and been able to fit the stuff in our luggage. We did not have any problems getting the stuff there. I prepared as much as I could before we left, so it took less than 30 minutes to put the bags together.