Scott-Pierre

I just wanted to update that I was able to change my social security card and my driver's license with the certified copy of the marriage register that the minister gave us after our ceremony at the ROR. The DMV sort of questioned it since it didn't have a raised seal, but once they saw it was from out of the country, they just accepted it. Insurance was also super easy, they didn't even need to see any documentation! I am glad I tried to change everything now rather than wait the MONTHS the official license is going to take. I feel officially married now!

We did not have to pay anything extra on check-in and neither did any of our guests. If you do use your credit card remember there is an international charge of 3% that the credit card charges as a transaction fee. I used my card several times while we were there and had no issues.

Unfortunately I know exactly what you are going through. I would see if she is on the Better Business Bureau website and if she is, file a complaint. I hope everything works out!

Thanks for the info about insurance! I will see if my hubby's insurance will take me.

Good to know! I may try my luck with it!

The wedding coordinator from the ROR told me it should take 2-3 months for us to receive ours. Does anyone know if we can use the Certified Copy of the Marriage Register that you sign during the ceremony to change your name? It does say it is a certified copy? I really wanted to get on my hubby's insurance before the end of the year.

Thanks for starting this thread! They definitely do not need anymore business from the brides on this forum!

So far they have not responded to my BBB complaint, and apparently they can totally ignore it if they want to. Just like they ignore calls and emails. Still put in your complaint so other consumers can be made aware.

If you go to the BBB website, it will show you how many complaints have been made against the company. It won't give you specifics on the complaints, just a general heading such as "customer service" or "refunds" to give you an idea of why the complaints were made. It also gives the company a rating from A+ to F, right now Bittersweet has a D-. I wish I would have found this site when I was researching vendors.

Blackrose222-

 

This is so crazy! She is purposely ignoring us so that way she doesn't have to deal with us and possibly refund our money. Legal action is looking like the only option at this point. Please file a complaint with the BBB so that other people that aren't on this forum can become aware of these issues.

OK ladies here is an update on this never ending saga. I wish I could say that I have reached a resolution and forgotten that I ever heard of Bittersweet, but it doesn't seem that is in the cards.

 

Today I received a bill from UPS for the $26 customs fee that the package was charged with for crossing the border. I called them to remind them of the situation and that I requested that UPS return the package well over two weeks ago. Well, it seems that in order for UPS to return a package to a shipper, they have to receive acceptance from the shipper. They have made multiple attempts to contact Bittersweet but have not gotten through to get approval. So the package is sitting in the UPS distribution center.

 

So I attempted to call them to tell them to accept the package so I can reach a resolution. Well, their voicemail box is full. I think I remember Blackrose222 saying it was full a week ago. What kind of business doesn't check their voicemails Yet another warning sign!!! So I sent an email which I doubt will be answered. It seems I am going to have to take legal action to get my money back. What a pain in my butt that I really don't need! My wedding was beautiful and perfect... then I have to come back and deal with this crap!

 

Ladies you have been warned!!! I hope that these posts will prevent someone else from going through this BS!

I can't remember exactly when we reserved it but it was months in advance. As soon as I knew I wanted the poolside I requested it. If there are other weddings on your day, you may not get it if they reserve first. Requesting it is not set in stone, you can always change your mind. I had initially wanted requested the Seagrape and then switched it. It was no problem. You don't pay for anything until you get there.

For the cake, we worked out everything at least 4 months in advance. I highly recommend Sheila's Bakery, the cake was delicious. There are a couple of other brides on this forum that used them as well and they gave them good reviews.

We invited almost 90 people and only 41 were actually able to come, so keep in mind that probably not all 70 will attend, so this will make your costs a little lower.

The DJ equipment was $90/hr compared to $150/hr for the DJ. We did just connect our IPOD to the speakers and had our cousin take care of switching to the different playlists for our garter and bouquet toss. It did come with a mic that our cousin used to MC and then it was used for speeches as well. It worked out great. With the DJ, you are taking a chance of him not having the exact songs you want. If you make him CDs or an IPOD, why not just use the connection and save the money? You have done all the work yourself anyway. I like reggae music, but didn't want to hear it all night. I had read in some other reviews that the DJs use a majority of reggae.

The poolside dinner/reception is an extra $55/pp. I thought it was worth it because it was private and such a nice ambience being right by the pool. The charge is for everything, including a bar just for you and your guests. If you have a poolside reception, and no bar, you and your guests will have to walk a pretty good distance, either to the sports bar or the hotel lobby bar for drinks. Then you might have to wait in line to be served b/c the other hotel guests will be using these bars as well. This is time away from the reception and inconvenient. If you think about what you would pay per person back home for a private reception with open bar, it is at least triple that. The $55 includes the setup, a great buffet, wait staff, and the bar with at least 2 bartenders just for your wedding party, and the cleanup.

To keep costs down we went without the DJ. We just rented the equipment and used our IPOD. This way we saved money and made sure that we heard the music we wanted to hear. You might want to think about doing something like that to save some money.

You could also do the free semi-private dinner at Mammee Bay and then just do the poolside for dancing after. I think it is only $10 or $15/pp if you use it just for dancing.

The poolside reception was $55/pp. This included everything... setup, dinner, open bar and the 4 hr time. There were at least 4 waiters and 2 bartenders. They took great care of us. Tables were cleared promptly and there were never empty glasses! If you think about how much that would cost back home.. you are saving alot of money!

We used the standard BBQ menu. All the menus are posted under another thread if you do a search. It was a great buffet that included something for everyone. There was seafood, ribs (fantastic), chicken, pork (everyone raved about the sausage), and a vegetarian choice. Several veggie choices, potatoes, pasta salad, etc. I did not hear any complaints about the food and everything I had was great! It was some of the best food I had while staying at the resort.

The cake was from an outside vendor, Sheila's Bakery. It was vanilla with strawberry filling. It was delicious and there was sooo much leftover after we all had a slice. Sheila's was easy to work with. We communicated via email and paid the resort. The cake was $300. I changed my mind several times and they were very patient with the changes.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

I am glad I got you excited! You won't be disappointed! Dancing on the pool bar is a MUST!

Sloan I am LMAO at your comments about Olivia! She does need a good kick in the teeth!

LMAO!!! I never even noticed... and neither did my husband!

I LOVED the first episode! Kristen is such a BITCH! She totally punked Audrina who gets on my damn nerves with that Justin Bobby BS. He is sooo gross! I did enjoy the preview of Jade throwing a drink in Kristen's face! Let's see how tough she is then! LMAO! Can Spencer just disappear? Heidi is the dumbest broad on earth for marrying that fool. You can totally tell that she misses her old life when she was Bffs with LC. I hope that they are just together for the show and that they don't really act like that in real life.

 

Also the City was great! I can't stand Olivia and I hope someone puts her in her place!

Thanks Erin! I have a few pics posted with my review.

Wow.... this is soooo terrible! I know exactly what you are going through. Go ahead and file a complaint with the BBB, maybe that will get her attention. I am still waiting on that company to acknowledge my complaint...

Thanks Jackobelle! I don't have any recommendations personally but there are alot of realtouch companies that other girls used if you do a search under this flower section. After all of the drama and unneccesary stress that chick caused me, I would recommend just spending a little more to have some piece of mind, and get the real flowers when you get to Cuba. It is less luggage to pack as well!

The poolside reception is not in the Plantation. It is actually on the other side of the resort by the pool that is outside of Building 1 which has the suites.

Kris-

 

We did have a head table. It was several square tables pushed together to make one long rectangle. We had myself, DH, MOH and hubby, and BM and his girl at our table. They took the floral pieces that were on the gazebo and put them on the table. They also moved the sand ceremony as well:

 

 

We also had a seperate cake table:

 

 

And a table with our guestbook for our guests to sign. I made placecards with everyone's name and table assignment. They are tent style, but the wind kept blowing them over, so the WC tucked them under our guestbook:

 

 

Hope these help to give you a better idea of how the setup looks!

 

We did not use their DJ. We used an IPOD that we had made playlists of all the music we wanted to hear. We had a playlist for dinner, a seperate one for dancing, the garter toss, and bouquet toss. It worked out well. We rented the DJ equipment only which included a mic. I didn't want to bring a sound system with me. Our cousin was the MC. It worked out well.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Glad to hear that the certificate is on the way! This is one thing that I totally forgot to ask about when we were there. Now I know that it may take a little while. Thanks for the info ladies!