sweetiecat

Jennifer, Does this mean that the $200 I sent at the time of booking will be applied to my room balance if I get 5 rooms booked under my group code? Thanks, Stephanie

Sherri, Thanks for the extra pictures! I'm going to look at them now and daydream about being in Negril. Thanks also for the advice on the video. Did a friend do yours or did you purchase the DVD from the resort? Stephanie

So I've booked my wedding for March 14, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. I'm getting really excited because a few guests have booked already as well. My save the date postcards come in on Monday, and I'm getting them sent out right away. The date seems so far away! I encourage any of you ladies who have already been there to post links to more pictures of their Beaches vacation/wedding when you get them so I can live vicariously through you until it's my turn!

Make sure you pack anything you absolutely need (including a change of clothes and a bathing suit) in your carryon in case your luggage gets lost. Roll up socks and underwear and squeeze inside containers or between the metal rods at the bottom of the suitcase to use every bit of space.

Shauna, If you have at least 10 rooms booked under a group booking at Sandals, they do a complimentary champagne/cake/cold appetizers reception. Depending on the number of people, you should also be able to make a group reservation at one of the restaurants that evening - it won't be a private reception, but it will still show your guests some hospitality. Then you could party at the room or in one of the bars/clubs afterward. Stephanie

I just wanted to add that I took an insulated mug with me when I went to an AI in Jamaica and ended up using it mostly for ice water on the beach/in the room, since the cups they serve water/soda/alcohol in are very small. So it's still an option for non-drinkers, but I cannot imagine trying to pack them and take them all with you.

I was just thinking of going with the Carefree Wedding package to keep the costs lower than what I would spend at home on a wedding and bringing some simple centerpieces with me - maybe doing parasols for the bridesmaids. Hopefully it will turn out pretty without spending a fortune. I love flowers, but I just can't justify spending the money on the Martha Stewart packages when the reason I'm doing the DW is for less $ (and also less hassle). If I do add extras, it will probably be on musicians or on extras for the guests (OOT bags or an excursion or something). Did anyone have any trouble using their own centerpieces at the resort?

You could do an excursion, snorkeling trip, or something similar with the guests, but that is likely as pricey, if not more expensive, than the OOT bags - it would certainly take less room though! How about a (personalized or not) luggage tag or passport holder for each guest before they leave for the trip? Really, I think that if you give everyone a heartfelt thank you for attending and make time to spend with each group of guests while you are they, they will appreciate that more than anything else.

Sorry for the misinformation about the steaks! Rereading my previous post, it seems that I may have come across too negative. The vast majority of the food I had at Sandals was excellent.

I just checked out the website, and she definitely makes some gorgeous dresses. Thanks for the tip!

It turned out great! Now that he is keeping it, I can't help but wonder what little treasures he is finding to put in it.

I voted for the wristlet, because even if you don't change purses all of the time, you will still likely use a wristlet when going out on the town and you don't want to bring a larger purse.

If you decide not to have a wedding party, but still want "honorary attendants," you could each ask a friend to sign the marriage certificate as witnesses and/or give a quick toast at your reception.

You could always have a "bridal luncheon" - just don't call it a shower and it won't have the connotation that gifts are required, thus no conflict. Most people will bring gifts anyway.

Andrea, I have read several resort reviews recently of people being really satisfied with their steak at either Beaches or Sandals, but when I went there, the steak that I had (at an a la carte restaurant) wasn't very good. The reason being, as you guessed, is that the land isn't really conducive to raising beef, and it is expensive to import. Maybe someone who has been more recently can let us know if it has improved or not (maybe Sandals has started importing the beef)? Otherwise, I would stick to seafood/shrimp/chicken, which were all very good at their restaurants. I did have a beef carppaccio (sp?) appetizer, which was delicious and tender - so maybe it varies. Sorry if I'm not being much help here. To help you narrow down the desserts, I would avoid anything like key lime pie or other desserts that are pudding/gelatin based. The rest of the desserts at the resort were fantastic, but anything that was made to gel was overgelled - maybe like they used too much gelatin and not enough pudding? Anyway, the result wasn't very flavorful. The other desserts (chocolate, pastries, etc.) were all great. -Stephanie

I'm thinking that I will book our wedding for Beaches Negril in April/May 2011. I was originally thinking that I didn't want to get married at a large all-inclusive, but I've realized that it should be the best option for our guests and for coordinating/satisfying a group. I'm getting really excited now, but I have a long time to wait! I talk with TA Jennifer next week to set our plans in place and then will get things rolling with save the dates for our guests. Does anyone have any cautions against the resort before I make the commitment? I have attended a wedding at Sandals Negril, and it was really fun. If you have already had your wedding there, or are farther in planning than me, have you had second thoughts and wish you did/were doing it elsewhere?

Here are a couple of tour companies that are always recommended by the regulars on Tripadvisor and some other Jamaican message boards: Welcome to Clive's Transport Service Jamaica - Taxi and Tours Jamaica - Taxi and Tours Jamaica - Lucea - Negril, Jamaica W. I. .::Talk Of The Town Tours ::. It seems that both of them will customize a tour for you (or accommodate groups) and the driver will come with you to the craft market, stores, etc., to ensure that you are comfortable and safe.

Here are a couple of tour companies that are always recommended by the regulars on Tripadvisor and some other Jamaican message boards: Welcome to Clive's Transport Service Jamaica - Taxi and Tours Jamaica - Taxi and Tours Jamaica - Lucea - Negril, Jamaica W. I. .::Talk Of The Town Tours ::. It seems that both of them will customize a tour for you (or accommodate groups) and the driver will come with you to the craft market, stores, etc., to ensure that you are comfortable and safe.

At the wedding I attended in February at Sandals Negril, the rehearsal dinner was a sitdown dinner with a set menu (but I think there were two entree options). There were about 30 guests there, if that makes a difference.

Thanks, Jennifer! I'm excited to hear that there will be an option to get the wedding flowers in white with the free package.

I went to a wedding at Sandals Negril in early 2009, so the Martha Stewart weddings were not available then, but they had a similar package called the "Carefree Wedding," which was free. The bride and groom decided not to add on any extras, but since they had 10 rooms booked by their guests, they were able to have a private rehearsal dinner and a half hour appetizer/champagne/cake reception following the ceremony. I believe the price for the half hour reception is $15/person if you don't have 10 rooms booked. Later that evening (they were married in the early afternoon), we all met up at one of the restaurants for dinner. There were around 30 of us, and they had no problem setting aside a corner of one of the restaurants, so it was semi-private and we had our own menu to choose from. I believe this was at no extra charge. Everything turned out great, and we were able to party together at the piano bar afterward. I agree that it doesn't really make sense to pay $75/person at an all inclusive resort to have the private reception unless that is what you really want and have the money to do it. I believe it would be quite easy to secure reservations for 10 people in one of the restaurants. The staff at the resort (and the wedding coordinator) will really try to make you happy. After staying in Negril over the weekend for their wedding, my boyfriend (now fiance) and I went to Sandals Royal Caribbean for an additional three nights before leaving the island. If you have any questions about the resort or the difference between these two resorts, I would be happy to answer them. I'm not sure if they give you the option of getting married on the private island, but if they do, I think it would be a wonderful location. It feels very tropical (even more so than the main resort) and would be more private.

I love the bags and your colors! The way you dressed up the first aid kits was fantastic. I hope your wedding went great!

Thanks for the websites! I'll be sure to check these out.

For those of you that decided to communicate with your guests via walkie talkies, did you include the radios in your OOT bags or just add them to your suggested packing list? I was thinking they would be the one pricey item I added to the bags, but I guess a lot of people would have a pair of walkie talkies lying around the house somewhere. If you used walkie talkies, did they work out well, or did you have trouble hearing on them? I want to use them in case some of my guests are at another (affiliated) resort about a mile down the beach - I guess if I buy walkie talkies, I will need to get good ones. It will probably end up depending on how many guests I have booked (whether it will fit into the budget or not). What do you think?

Thanks for adding this! I'll be sure to go through these when it is time to make playlists.