sherric80

Wow! I am offically a Mrs. now!! Our wedding was perfect and I am so happy. I just wanted to post some info for you all right away. I don't have the pictures on the computer yet so I will get those out soon! Any worries that you have about a DW or the resort can be put away. They know what they are doing & want to make sure you have the best experience of your life! Wedding – Preston Bailey Sunset Collection - The wedding was absolutely perfect! It was everything I could have wanted. It was set up on the beach down away from the kid area. The arch had 3 huge clusters of flower arrangements with the flowing fushia organza just like the pictures. I took fushia chair sashes which they tied on each chair as well as freeze dried rose petals which they spread along the aisle. There were extra people to make sure that no one else was around or able to walk down the beach during the ceremony or to be loud around us. At one point a boat came nearby with music & they flagged to them to turn the music off. They had a stereo system for our music so it was plenty loud for everyone to hear. I had several songs & list of how I wanted each one played. They pulled it off perfectly. Andrea (WC) was on hand to help everyone to their seats, direct the wedding party, etc.. It actually rained about an hour before the ceremony & they hurried everything to cover, wiped it all off when done raining, called me to assure me everything would be fine, kept track of everyone & all the details….I really had nothing to think about that day. Reception – We did the 2 hour dinner + 3 hours of DJ. It was set up under a tent right on the sand with 4 large round tables & then ours which had the PB flowers. The flower arrangement was unbelievable! It was probably 3 feet tall with the most flowers I have ever seen. It was beautiful & looked just like the pictures. The other tables had white tablecloths & they brought over the flower clusters from the arch for each table. There were 4 servers, 1 bartender, 1 DJ, & then some of the other staff from the resort came & went. We were having such a party that they all wanted to join us! I customized our menu which was not a problem for the chef & was at no additional cost. I gave Amber a list of things that I wanted for dinner & she asked the chef before we arrived. They were more than happy to adjust the menu away from what was listed in the wedding kit. Wedding Pre-Meeting – You meet with the wedding coordinator the day after you arrive to finalize everything. They give you a book in your room (which has basically the same stuff as the kit) to look through & then Nikki or Andrea go over all the details with you. This is where you pick everything from the flavor of the cake, photography, order of ceremony, etc. They are very organized & helpful. Everything can definitely be done when you arrive or you can pre-plan everything like I did. The staff are well experienced to handle anything so feel secure that your wedding will be everything you could ask for. Just make sure that you ask! Hair – I had my hair done at the salon & it turned out beautiful! I took a magazine & the stylist made my hair look exactly like the picture! I had it all pinned up with flowers. It cost $15 for 2 stems of orchids which they arranged throughout my hair. One thing to keep in mind though is that they did not wash my hair prior to styling so don’t go straight from the pool or ocean. The salon is nice & everyone is very professional. They know what they are doing. You can make a trial appointment as well. My appointment took about an hour. I did my own make-up. Photographer/videographer – No worries here! They know exactly what they are doing! Nicola (photographer) & Vevan (videographer) were fantastic! They are such wonderful people & they are dedicated to capturing every moment. They will do whatever you want as well as make suggestions along the way. I could not have asked for a better photographer & videographer! Request them & you are sure to get beautiful memories. We choose the Tropical Passion Package $1800 & then bought all our photos (over 300) for $2000. The photo album is very nice & comes in a box as well as the video. They actually stayed over our time limit to finish capturing our reception. Our whole group felt at ease with both Nicola & Vevan and throughout the rest of our stay they both remembered us by name as well as our family. They made our experience very personal. I was worried about the photo’s before we left, but there was nothing to worry about with these two. Flowers – My bouquet was unbelievable! It was so beautiful & very large! Each bridesmaid had a stem of hot pink orchids, which were a bit pricey $40 each. I refused to pay $50 and had asked for them to be around $30, but somehow I ended up paying more. We picked flowers from the resort for each bridesmaid to wear in their hair. There wasn’t a whole lot of big type flowers around the resort, but the smaller ones worked fine. Resort – The resort itself is great. We had 25 people with us and everyone had a blast! The waterslide & lazy river are great spots for the kids (as well as adults). The beach is very large, water is warm and calm. The staff is extremely friendly & kind. It is a great resort for a wide range of ages. We would all go back in a heartbeat! On Monday nights the resort kinda shuts down so there are limited eating places which we found difficult since they don’t announce it. Only 2 places were open for dinner so it was pretty crowded.

I bought mine from Silk Rose Petals & Freeze Dried Rose Petals - Petal Garden. I just ordered the variety pack since it was only $80 something for 128 cups. They arrived and look fine. The wedding is 1 week away so I will let you all know how they hold up & everything.

My wedding is now 1 week away!!! We leave this Saturday so I will post all the info & pics I can when I get back!

My wedding is 1 week away!!! We leave for Jamaica this Saturday so I will let you all know everything I can when I return. Hopefully I will have some really good info & pics to share with you all! Sherri

The WC & GM of the resort already know the situation....just in case! I told them so that there were no suprises the day of. It has been such a nightmare that I am glad it is finally almost over. We are all getting excited to leave. We fly to Jamaica this Saturday & will have a few days to hopefully relax and enjoy the island. I will let you all know how it goes! Wish me luck!

Wedding Date: September 30, 2009 Beaches Negril - September 26-Oct. 3 Sandals Negril - Oct. 3-6 My wedding is only 2 weeks away! But no garmet bag....so maybe that is only certain resorts? Oh, well my dress came with one.

As long as you have the negatives you can do whatever you want with the pics with the right software. You can turn a color photo into a black & white, you can add just a touch of color (like just the bouquet), make the edges soft, remove people from the background, etc... It just take a little work with some good photo editing software. My TA recommended that I take photo's with me to show the resort photographer what I am looking for as well as a list of must take poses. That way it gives them a better idea of what I want.

Things have been so crazy that I haven't even had time to think about the wedding! And it is in 2 weeks! The outlaws (that is what I am calling them now) decided to cancel their trip, blame my FI, have a mental meltdown, act like total drama queens, exagerate their state of health by saying the mom may need to go to the hospital because of stress, refuse to talk or give updates on situation, and now are back to possibily going & acting as though nothing happened! If anyone is going to need medical attention it is going to be me when I check into a mental ward!!! Luckily FI has come around & is addressing his parents behavior & telling them if they can't be happy & keep their crap together for the ceremony then not to come. We have both had enough of all the stress the outlaws are causing. What a rollercoaster ride we have been on lately! Now, I am trying to get all my last minute stuff together because we leave for Jamaica next Saturday the 26th! Yea! Wish me luck ladies! I will let you all know how it turns out. I am trying not to worry about the outlaws behavior but it is so hard. You want your wedding day to be perfect & everyone to be happy for you. Hopefully it will all turn out to be great & no bad behavior by anyone! I am definately asking for some help from above!

The inlaws (outlaws lol) called the travel agent & made reservations to come to the wedding. They plan on staying at week! And then they decided that they should plan a rehearsal dinner without consulting me. My FI thinks that they are trying to be nice & show support & I think they are ignoring our request that they not attend the wedding. They have done this before. When we ask them not to do something they do it anyway no matter what anyone else's feelings are. I went to our counselor to try & sort out my feelings & he thinks that all will end in disaster if the inlaws stay a week. We have never even survived a weekend with them & now somehow we have to survive 4 days before the wedding & 3 after. They have already said they plan on spending every second they can with us. We said that we have things planned & will be spending time with other guests so they said they will just tag along. I think I am going to have a mental breakdown, or maybe already have. What a nightmare! I know without any doubt that our relationship will not survive a week with them. I don't know if we will survive the 4 days before the wedding. My FI becomes a different person around them. He is negative, lashes out, blames everyone for stuff, & completely reverts back into a carbon copy of his parents. When he is away from them & hasn't talked with them he is the complete opposite. He is very positive, caring, always trying to help others. It is like watching Jackyl & Hyde sometimes. As for the question about moving far away after the wedding - we already live over 1000miles apart!! You would think with all that distance we wouldn't be having so much trouble! We have an appointment with our councelor on Tuesday to see if he can make my FI realize we need BOUNDRIES! That are strictly enforced. OMG I feel like I am marrying 3 people instead of 1. Jo&Daz 20-10-2010 - Please tell your mother thank you so much for her kind words & wisdom. She is a much stronger person than I at the moment. I am having a hard time with my FI continuing a relationship with his parents because of the way they treat me. I feel like he is telling them it is ok & he will still see them no matter how mean they are to me. I am struggling very hard with my feelings on that.

Well we had our meeting....I don't think it made any difference in any direction. We had the meeting at a church (to discourage any outragous behavior) with both sets of parents & us. His parents insisted that mine should be there to air their feelings as well. My parents were a bit hesitant to go because they don't feel it is their place to be in the middle of my relationship. It started with the mediator telling everyone that the only way to work through this was for everyone to be completely honest & open & have a willingness to listen & understand each person's feelings. Basically his parents came to act as though they have never done or said anything to make me believe that I was unwelcome or that they don't want us to get married. They tried to just blow it all off & continued to say that we all just need to move forward & forget the past without an admittance of wrong or apology. They both completely denied all the ugly words, emails, gifts, etc. and then said they would apologize for anything that I thought happened if needed. The father was completely out of control in the beginning & wouldn't let me speak without lashing out at me. The mediator asked him if he needed to leave the room to control himself. The mother sat quietly staring off into space like she wasn't there. It was unbelievable! I told them exactly how I felt & they couldn't even look at me. My FI told them how he felt & they tried to play the "you don't love me anymore" card. It was a mess & no conclusion/solution came of it. They kept saying how they wanted to make things better & wanted a chance to be part of our lives, but couldn't say that they would try to change their behavior, act positive towards our wedding, offer any genuine apology, or any other meaningful action in the future. We left with the mediator saying that everyone needed to take a week & look inside themselves to see if each of us was willing to be honest about the past & then move forward in a positive direction. A positive direction meaning that past negative behaviors had to stop & a genuine effort had to be made to rectify past mistakes. Of course my FI wants some sort of relationship with his parents and I am at the point that I don't think it is possible. I have learned that his parents seem to treat many people with the same passive aggressiveness they show us. They have never had any consequence for their meanness & don't believe that anyone would dare stand up to them. So I still have 1 month to go & not an ounce of stress was relieved. I am now doubting that we should get married at all. I don't want to be the horrible person who says you can't have your parents in your life, but I also know I am not happy with them in our lives. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life being verbally & emotionally abused by his parents. All the meeting did was prove to me again that his parents want complete control over our lives & they will never leave us alone to be happy. Misery loves company.

When I talk with Amber I have a list of questions ready since she is so difficult to actually speak with. Last time we spoke I had over 50 questions & she answered each one. I have noticed that the closer to my wedding it gets the quicker she responds. She is the WC for all Jamaica brides so that is 4 or 5 resorts with an average of 4 weddings per day at each! I get really frustrated sometimes, but then I try to step back & realize that there are hundred's of other brides trying to reach her as well. She is actually very nice & helpful when you reach her. Setting up a time is the easiest way to reach her. Also, if you just call the wedding department a lot of your questions can be answered by the other staff.

Quote: Originally Posted by kgeecee ok so i just did it!! i booked my friend who happens to be a photog and her boyfriend / assistant. they way we worked it was i paid for their resort stay (1200) and they are getting their airfare. And i will have them their w their cameras thurday - Sunday! wish me luck. and btw she wants to do many more!! What a stress relief for you!! Congrats! I thought having a DW was supposed to be so much more stress free than planning one at home - HA HA! Too bad your friend wasn't coming on Wednesday & I would split the cost with you. Has anyone been able to find other people's pics online? I have only found just a couple & they didn't help me too much. If so will you post the links here?

You can take the petals through customs in Jamaica. I confirmed with my TA, wedding coordinator, & online at Jamaica's customs page. My WC said that many brides bring freeze dried petals because of the cost & they have never had any trouble. I don't know about Mexico, but check with your TA or WC. You can also check the internet. Just search for Mexico customs regulations or contact Mexico's embassy in the US. Same thing for any other country.

We have decided to have a face to face meeting with his parents with a mediator. That way things can't get out of hand (at least not too fast). We have already decided that we are going to tell them straight out that unless they change their behavior & TRULY support us then they can't be part of our lives. We both also want them to admit to all the things they have said & done and then hopefully we can tell them how each of those things made us feel. I don't believe you can apologize for something that you won't admit to or won't understand the other person's feelings. We are also hoping that they will go see a councelor. They have many problems in their own marriage & we think that if things were going more smoothly between the two of them then maybe they wouldn't feel the need to control so much of our lives. We are also hoping that a councelor can talk them through their need to keep their son to themselves. They have a really unhealthy need to control, manipulate, guilt, and lie to him. I also think that I am going to take the advise & write my feelings down, but not send it. Through all of this I have never said or done anything back to them in anger. I am very proud of that fact, but think it would be a good idea to get my feelings out. Sometimes putting something on paper makes it easier to see where your heart is & how to allow forgives to come in. That is what I am working on right now - forgiveness. It is very difficult, but I know that I will feel better once I can say that. We talked about just going & getting married, but I am set on having my wedding day be my wedding day. I don't want anything to take that away from me. I want all our friends & family who love us to be there & share that special moment. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just go do it, but the other part of me doesn't want to miss out on the beauty of this once in a lifetime event.

Basically the resort wants to make as much money off of each wedding that they can so they tell you a lot of half truths. 1st - they say you have to pre-pay for a package - completely untrue! Many brides go down without ANY pre-planning & are still able to have a photographer capture every moment. They want you to pre-pay so they are guaranteed the $$. 2nd - no pro photographer - there is no way for the resort to know if someone is a pro or not & they do not check it out. I have spoken with my TA many times about this & she always just laughs. They don't do background checks on guests! As for "equipment" many guests have tripods, video cameras, expensive digital cameras, etc. who are just on a family vacation. The resort isn't/can't tell you that pics are not allowed by anyone other than the resort people. The quality of the resort photos are not the best by any means. I have seen pics on utube, trip advisor, the knot, & here and none have been professional in my opinion. The best advise my TA gave me was to make a detailed list of each "must take" photo/pose that I wanted & to discuss it with the photographer in advance. If photo's are the most important part of the day then I say dish out the $$ and pay for someone to come with you. Otherwise, unfortunately it is what it is. My wedding is at the end of September so hopefully I can pass on any additional info/insight to everyone when I return to help ease some very stressed minds!

Dance floor info - Amber just let me know that the price of the dance floor rental will be going up to $220 instead of $180. Just a little FYI in case anyone is set on having the dance floor. You might want to call & book it at the lower price! Hopefully they haven't changed the pricing just yet.

Thank you to everyone for all the kind words. To answer a few questions - The first actual "real" time spent with my FI family was not good. They decided right then & there that they didn't like me. It was right before Christmas & the MIL spent several hours telling me how aweful gift cards were as a gift & that only people who didn't care gave them out. Luckily I had picked out a beautiful cashmere sweater for her as well as my own mother! But then she gave me a pair of socks & a $25 gift card! I couldn't believe it! Then she told me that I had ruined her Christmas & it would never be the same again. Of course each get together after that went much the same way. They would tell me they wished I wouldn't have came & that next time maybe their son could come without me, etc. In the beginning my FI had a hard time with all of it because they always said these things to me when he would leave the room. We even went to counseling about it. Now that he understands what they say & do to me he has asked them about it. They deny most of it, but then sometimes will let something slip out like I am just ungrateful or else they will blame him. As for confronting them & talking about it - we did in June. It was ugly. We met up to discuss everything & the MIL attacked me & blamed me for everything & ended by saying that her son was the only family she has (she has a husband & sister) & that I had taken him from her. The FIL just goes along with her, but then sometimes lashes out at me or his son as well. He wrote a toast that talked about how much he had enjoyed getting to know me (which he has not done) & then ended with saying he hoped he could say these words at the wedding and not regret them. Very passive aggresive behavior I think...... We have now written them a letter explaining our feelings & asked them again not to attend the wedding. The worst part is that all this has driven a huge wedge between me & my FI. It is very sad to think that we are about to get married with such a stressful situation on our hands. No one wants to start a marriage like this. Thanks again for listening! Sometimes it is good to just get things off your chest.

Those are great! What a creative & unique idea to make your day even more special & memorable.

I am looking into freeze dried petals as well. Our ceremony is on the beach & they don't allow silk petals because of the environment & the resorts wants $60 for a small bag. As far as I have found the petals hold their shape & color just fine, but do not smell. I am buying the not so perfect ones for the aisle, & then the higher quality ones for the tables. Here are a couple sites I looked at: Eco-Friendly Freeze Dried Rose Petals Freeze Dried Rose Petals - Petal Garden Freeze Dried Rose Petals - 2G Roses

My FMIL hates me! She has always disliked me (4 years now) & says and does really mean things to me. Now the FMIL & FFIL have asked my fiance to re-think getting married! They told him that they don't feel that I love him & that if we get married we will have a long & bitter life together. We are both very upset over this & it has added a huge amount of stress to our wedding. How do we un-invite them to the wedding?! We have told them that if they can't be happy for us then they shouldn't come. They still plan on attending & said that they will continue to try & stop their son from marrying me. I don't know exactly what that means, but I guess they are going to try to stop the ceremony from taking place or harrass us they days leading up to the wedding. We will all be in Jamaica for 4 days before the ceremony. What do I do?! Please pass along any advise you have!

I am taking freeze dried rose petals with me for the aisle & flower girl to through. I thought I would pass along these websites for everyone. They are much cheaper than buying from the resort at $60 a bag! Eco-Friendly Freeze Dried Rose Petals Freeze Dried Rose Petals - Petal Garden Freeze Dried Rose Petals - 2G Roses

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di i am planning to design my own save the date magnets. How did you print the magnets? Do you need a specific printer to do it? Anyone know? Thanks! The magnet sheets I bought said to use an inkjet printer (which I have). I am sure you can get sheets for other printers as well. I just used a business card template from Microsoft word so the magnets would all be exactly the same & changed the design around a little. It was really easy & cheap!

I will try and pass on what I have found out from Amber - Flowers/colors - email pictures to Amber of what you want then she will contact the florist for pricing. They can do anything. You can even mail color swatches or ask for them as well - I did! Photographer - you can have a member of the wedding party do them even if they are staying at a different resort. They just don't want competition from the island photographers. Table Decor - they have standard centerpieces that are included in the 3 hour reception. I am not sure what they look like, but they are at no additional cost. Remember that you will have to pay extra at the airport if your bag is over 50lbs I think! Make sure to wiegh your bag with all the decor before you go! Hair/Make-up - I am having my hair done because my hair never cooperates when I need it too! Make-up I am doing myself. I haven't heard anything bad about the hairstyles, but have heard that the make-up is sometimes over the top. Beach Ceremony - chairs are white, ladder back style. petals for the flower girls must be real - no silk because of environmental issues. Picking locations - the resort will take you on a tour the day after you arrive of all the locations you can choose from for the ceremony & reception. There will also be a book in your room with all the different options. You don't have to pick out anything or pay before you arrive. KGEECEE - We will definately have to meet up after you arrive! or you can check out our ceremony & reception decor when you get there. Our wedding is at 5 on the beach with the ceremony following on the beach. We picked the PB Sunset collection. We are doing the 2 hour reception, but paying extra for the DJ to stay 3 hours & are having a dance floor. I am taking extra decor for the ceremony because all we have is the arch & white chairs. I am taking fushia satin chair sashes & having the resort make some decor out of bamboo sticks (7' tall) and wrapping them in ribbon so the excess ribbon will blow in the wind at the top to stake in the sand by the aisle. I am also bringing freeze dried flowers for the aisle & flower girl to throw and making program fans for each guest. Is anyone doing OOT bags? If so what are you putting in them & when do you plan on giving them out. We are doing them & so far I am putting in mugs.....and I don't know what else yet or when to give them out. We have guests coming in on Saturday & Monday.

The dance floor is shared between 3 resorts & so may or may not be available to use on your chosen date. It is $180 to rent. The sooner you start booking everything (and of course paying) the better chance you will have at the dance floor. It is the same with the bands & dj's. They play at all the resorts so get booked pretty early. As for heels on the beach I would say no unless you are using some sort of solid platform underneath a runner. We went to a wedding in Mexico & the bride wore heels and had to take them off 1/2 way down the ailse after her father was basically pulling each of her feet out of the sand. Every step she took her heels sunk into the sand & hand to pull out with some force. It was not graceful. I attached some options & prices from the resort for flowers & decor. You can also send pics to Amber & she will contact the florist for a price to re-create the look. They can do pretty much anything as long as you are willing to pay for it! Jamaica Options.pdf Jamaica Prices.pdf

We definately need to stick together! There are not many of us so the more info to share the better. We had orginally planned on T & C as well, but right when we went to book a some celeb got married there & the price tripled!! We needed to get things moving along so went with Jamaica for the cheaper price & more direct flights for everyone. I attached a copy of the ceremony vows for everyone. I am not sure if you can change any of the wording, but you can add to it if you want. We are having someone do an opening prayer & then bless the rings. Ceremony Vows.doc