krazedtrader

Hi Casaundra - I got married at the Cloisters back in Dec. For the ceremony we had a beautiful 3 string quartet. For DJ, I highly recommend Jose Ageeb. He was hands down one of the easiest vendors to work with and extremely friendly. His energy was wonderful and all I had to tell him was "play top 40" and the music turned out awesome. We also had a Junkanoo at the wedding which was loads of fun and really got the crowd going, changing the vibe completely after some emotional toasting. I highly recommend this splurge because it blew my guests away and everyone can't stop talking about. I have pics of my wedding at the Cloisters - you can PM me if you want to see them.

We only did a DJ (Jose Ageeb) and he was GREAT

Got Married at the Cloisters in December 2011 with Reception at Luciano's and Rehearsal at the Poop Deck. Here are my vendor reviews. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or want to see pics. Here's a link, hopefully it won't get deleted! http://www.michellenicoleblog.com/2012/01/kathy-robert/ Wedding Planner - Anne Marie WIlliams - I don't know where to begin listing the things that Anne Marie did for me. She coordinated all of our vendors, picked up rum cakes, Goombay Punches and brochures for my welcome bags, delivered them to my hotel, helped find a backup for our Minister when Matthew Sweeting pulled out last minute, coordinated our rehearsal, got sand for our sand ceremony and name card holders, put out all of our programs, name cards, guest book cards, cameras at the reception and ceremony sites, the list goes on and on. She was amazing to work with and on the day of, she was the back bone of the wedding - making sure everyone was in place for the ceremony. Its critical to have someone else take care of the logistics day of so you can ENJOY your wedding. She made sure all of the transportation arrangements came on schedule and accommodated all of our last minute changes. She also helped coordinate with the Atlantis and Ocean Club to make sure we got our desired ceremony time AND to arrange for our on site picture taking. The best part was doing the paperwork for the wedding - we were in and out of the government offices in 15 minutes because she knew exactly who to talk to and where to go! Lastly, I cannot go without mentioning the thousands of times Anne Marie called the immigration office for my photographer's permits. She has the sweetest demeanor and is so passionate about her work. We love and highly recommend her if you want to have a seamless event!!!! Transportation - Bahamas Experience Tours - We shuttled our 100+ guests to/from the rehearsal dinner/ceremony/reception using Bahamas Experience Tours who were easy to work with, on time, well priced and comfortable. All of our guests really appreciated the organization of the transportation. Welcome Drinks - We had Welcome Drinks at Plato's at the Atlantis. Our Group Coordinator (who got us great rates for the hotel) had everything set up including a sign and a staff of 5 waitresses to help us Rehearsal Dinner @ Poop Deck Sandy Port Very good staff, management was easy to work with. Decor is very nice and easily accommodated our 100+ guests. Food was ok for a rehearsal dinner, but Luciano's was MUCH better! Ceremony: Minister - Melvin Grant - Matthew Sweeting pulled out last minute which was a BIG disappointment and Anne Marie helped arrange for Melvin Grant to be our Officiant/Minister. Upon her urging, I wrote the entire ceremony and Melvin did a REALLY great job. All of our guests said he was wonderful! Flowers - Wildflowers - We had some initial communication problems with Wildflowers but in the end, they did an AMAZING job. We could not be happier. Natalie's team is truly the best on the island and they over deliver in terms of quality. The decor turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined it. Prices were also very good. I checked around and they were very competitive DJ - Jose Ageeb - GET HIM!!! Don't even think about it. Tons of brides on this forum recommend him and there is GOOD reason. He was hands down one of the easiest vendors to work with and extremely friendly. His energy was wonderful and all I had to tell him was "play top 40" and the music turned out awesome. Junkanoo - We also had a Junkanoo at the wedding which was loads of fun and really got the crowd going, changing the vibe completely after some emotional toasting. I highly recommend this splurge because it blew my guests away and everyone can't stop talking about. Cake - Swiss Pastry Shop - Since we are not fans of Fondant, we asked for whip cream on our cake and we were thoroughly impressed by the artistry on the cake considering how difficult it is to design using whip cream. More importantly, the cake was DELICIOUS!! We had 4 layers - 2 chocolate, 2 coconut. - I can't say which ones I loved more. Reception Location - Luciano's - Being picky New Yorkers, we were very particular with the food and Luciano's exceeded our expectations. All of our guests were saying how amazing the food was. Plates were cleaned with sauces licked up everywhere. The location was also beautiful - on the water with a direct view of the Atlantis. The staff was also wonderful - telling us they even got teary during the toasts. They definitely spiced up the vibe but more importantly, Sue was extremely accommodating and easy to work with. They gave us the whole outside of the restaurant, put up high boys and smaller chairs for our guests to use during cocktail hour. Helped to unpack all of the plastic wrap on the cameras and favors (which I assure you was ALOT of work). Dealt with our changes to guest numbers up until the day before and gave us a private changing room upstairs. They bent over backwards for us on top of exceeding our expectations on the food and service. We plan to make Luciano's a regular dining location for our annual trip to the Bahamas! *We brought our own photographer, videographer, hair and makeup artists. Overall, our experience in the Bahamas was amazing and my wedding was as perfect as I could have imagined it. All of our guests had a great time and some even told us it was the best wedding they had ever been to and thats a credit to all of our wonderful vendors! Once again, feel free to email me if you have any questions or want to see pics

Thanks!

Thanks so much for a response! I will ask him tonight - we have a call set up =D

Hi My fiance and I are getting legally married in the Bahamas. Does anyone know if we need to go to City Hall or do anything special when we return to NY? Any advice would be much appreciated!! Kathy

Your wedding sounds so fabulous and your cake is so beautiful! I think I may have to copy that =D Can we please PM me and let me know how much a Cabana rental is and how much the table at Aura is? I am thinking about doing the same.

Yes! $314 RT for my dates (against $444 quoted online)

Yes I am - since its a great rate, I am going to have them mail me checks or wire me $ and/or paypal me. I will ask for all of the payment now to lock in their seats, then I will pass the $ to Jetblue via credit card - which also helps me earn some miles!

I am doing Jetblue. Yes you have to guarantee but the rate is awesome. They gave me $130 off the current rate for the dates of my wedding.

We designed our own save the date cards. Let me know what you think! Overnight prints is very cheap. We got 100 for $40 INCLUDING a stamp with our address

Let me know what you think! Printing at Overnight Prints for the Magnet was VERY cheap. Cost me approx $40 for 100 including a stamp with our address!

Was in the Bahamas last weekend for a mini vacation and got to meet with a bunch of vendors! Planning a wedding is so much fun! Wedding Planner - Anne Marie Williams I love Anne-Marie, she is super maternal, very detailed oriented and willing to go above and beyond. We were really lucky that she was doing a wedding at the Cloisters and Luciano's the weekend that we were there and we were able to stop by before the wedding to see the setup at both locations. Throughout our time with Anne-Marie, she was following up with the pick up/drop off and other details for the wedding that day which was awesome because it means that she is very detail oriented. She also had the 3 string quartet play for us so that we can decide whether we wanted to go with just the violinist or a 3 string and having 3 definitely makes a difference! Ceremony - Cloisters - Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. What more can I say? I can't imagine being married anywhere else Reception - Luciano's - I didnt expect Luciano's food to be so delicious, we were sooooo pleasantly surprised. The Seafood Wellington was unbelievable and we will probably be advising everyone at the wedding to order it. The Coconut Panna Cotta was also very yummy. The staff were extremely accommodative, willing to make changes and checking with us after every course. The outside area is also very spacious. The lights come on after sunset which gives it a very romantic feel, especially when combined with the lights on at the Atlantis across the harbor. Like the Cloisters, I can't imagine a more perfect setting. My fiance was sooo happy with my pick Cake - Swiss Pastry Shop - We had to pay $25 for cake samples which isnt common in NY, but very common in the Bahamas. Either way, the cakes by Manfred were delicious, but be careful because the cakes he provides at the tasting are whipped cream with sponge cake. If you want fondant, he usually makes it with pound cake which means that it will probably taste different from the cake samples. If possible, I would ask to taste their buttercream and fondant cakes as well. Flowers - Wildflowers - Can't say much yet but Natalie spent 2 hours talking with us. She will be doing a sample setup for us to see if we like it. Anne-Marie uses Wildflowers for 90% of her weddings. I'll give more feedback on them when I see some samples. However my first impression is that you should know what you want and don't want because they may over recommend Makeup - Regina - Recommended by Anne-Marie. I paid $100 for a test, but i looooved her. She put eyelash extensions on me and it was gorgeous! Overall we had a really great experience and can't wait to have our wedding in Dec!

OMG skp1, we will be there at the SAME time. I am arriving on Sat at 9am =) I am going to ask them as well. Aside from tasting the food at Lucianos and spying on a wedding that my planner is coordinating at the Cloisters, I also have to look for places to do the Welcome Drinks, Rehearsal Dinner and Makeup. What are you doing about Makeup? Are you using the Mandara Spa or the MAC store downtown? I'm probably going to do the open bar like you as well. Are you meeting with Jose? He's going to be my DJ too.

Has anyone been able to negotiate free admission at the Aura night club? Any clue how much table reservations cost? My contact at Atlantis is not helpful at all. She just said, we have general Atlantis rates - free admission for woman, $20 for men- no discounts for groups - thats almost hard to believe!

Thanks for the Rehearsal dinner suggestions. Procell, how are your guests getting to the Sunrise Beach Club? I also got MUCH lower rates for my rooms. So low that the Comfort Inn just couldn't match it. It was through Atlantis directly but then again my wedding is in Dec a week or so before Xmas so rates are usually lower

oops! I posted this before i read the feedback on the other threads! Thanks!

Hi Everyone I am having my wedding at Luciano's in Dec and wanted to see if anyone has ideas for where the Rehearsal dinner should be. Don't want it to be super expensive and ideally cheaper than the reception at Luciano's! Thanks in advance K

I just booked for wedding in Dec

Hi Everyone! I am having my wedding at the Cloisters Dec 12, 2011 and will be going down to meet vendors later this month. The BDW site has been such an amazing resource! I've been a silent browser, but its time to get involved! Here's what I have planned so far. I'm using Anne Marie Williams as a wedding planner and she is amazing. Due to our the large size of our families - I'm looking at 100 guests! 1. Ceremony - Cloisters 2. Reception - Luciano's Q - Has anyone seen the outside space? Luciano's tells me that unless I book the entire outside space (requires 15k spend), I may have people in the covered patio area see our wedding. 3. Flowers - Anne Marie uses Wildflowers and everyone here seems happy, so I may just go with them. Q - How concrete of a vision do you need to provide them and do they show you samples? 4. Cake - Will prob go with Manfred 5. Looking to have a Junkanoo and Fire Dancer 6. Officiant - Matthew Sweeting 7. Photographer - Not sure who I will pick. Does anyone know the cost of a work permit if I fly in my own photographer? Otherwise I may go with Mario Nixon since he's much cheaper than Mark. 8. Will probably go with Jose 9. Anne Marie got be a fair rate for transportation between ceremony location and reception area Vendors I still need to find: 1. Makeup artists!! I am worried about this but will go downtown and try Bobby Brown. MrsWeiss > thanks for the rate comparison 2. Rehearsal Dinner Venue - Looking for somewhere cheap but not too shabby 3. Tux Rental for Groom - Did anyone rent on the island? 4. Steaming for wedding dress - Did anyone do this? If so, who did you use? I have been going down to the Atlantis every year for the past 10 years and I can't think of a more perfect place for my wedding! Atlantis also gave me amazing rates for the rooms, Comfort Inn couldn't even match it!

Hi Do you mind providing me with the information for your Staten Island Photographer? It sounds like a really great deal worth considering!!! Kathy

I am looking to do the same as well in Dec 2011! So much fun to plan. Has anyone considered how their guests will be transported from Atlantis to the cloisters and from the cloisters to Luciano's. Classadiva - I think i read on another blog that you rented a van - how much does that cost?

I just got engaged and planning a wedding in Cancun 1. Mercy Pains 2. 12.10.2010 3. Cancun, Mexico