kerrij

Jenny Penny! so exciting!!! yay!!! Ya definitely felt rushed! it's nice to get a bunch of pics the day of the wedding, luckily we did TTD the next day with the entire wedding group so we had a few more pics than we would have. as for the heat...i was worried about it...DH even bought 2 extra shirts so he could change throughout the day if he sweated through a shirt...and he didn't even need to change once, and he had a suit jacket! when we were there...early March...about 2:30 everyday it started to get windy...it definitely kept us all cool, which was nice. but make sure you pin your bangs down if they are long, other wise they'll drive you nuts! lol and your vail will blow like no other! lol i finally got some wedding pics today so i'll post a few of the cake and gazebo and stuff so you can see

You're welcome!! i love to talk about my wedding and the resort...so this thread is pretty much one of the few that i still come back to! heheh And thank you! we are verrrry excited! fingers crossed all goes well! i wouldn't do hors deourves...not really any time to eat them and if people need a snack, the buffet is awesome. dinner is very filling!

Oh ya, and the cake...i didn't have the Special wedding cake in my package like Blissful does...and my cake was sooooo beautiful!!! 2 layers and pretty big, and so pretty! you can pick out your cake colors and flavor at the resort, as well as your bouqet and everythingn else. no need to order stuff a head of time!!

Hey Brides...I'm not on BDW site as often anymore so feel free to PM me if you need a quick respons from a past GBP bride...since i'm now scoping out all the baby websites! hehe yay! Ok here i go! Quote: Originally Posted by mekanabr Ok another question for you Kerrij If you wouldn't mind sharing (or pm'ing it to me) could you tell me how much your total wedding cost and what all it included? I was reading some sort of scary stuff on here from about a year ago and the prices sounded crazy! Thanks!!!!! It's expensive no matter what you do!! no including the typical costs, rings, honeymoon, dress, wedding party outfits, photog, etc. here is roughly what i spent. Steel drum band - $400 ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!! Gazebo & DJ - $500 Bar - $15/person, i think? chair covers - were included we had the free package and had to pay for 35 of our guests i think. I think in the end it cost $4000 with the free package, which isn't avail anymore. Flights from Calgary $1739. we upgraded to first class $300 each. Quote: Originally Posted by jennypenny23 Im so glad that there are more GBP Runaway Bay brides out there! I just sent an email to [email protected] (I hope this is the correct email address) at the beginning of the week. Im hoping that someone can tell me which dates/times are available for our ceremony. We are booked for the week of Jan 29th - Feb 5th 2011 It feels more real to me now...Its really happening!!! kerrij, what was your experience like dealing with the WC there? Did she get back to you fairly quickly? Was she informative about wedding package options/pricing I have been having all of my emails rejected from Beverly the WC for about 2 months so i just call her when i need her. But TRULY you don't need to worry or plan much at home...it really is all done when you get there (unless you bring stuff from home like decor and stuff, which is completely unneccessary IMO!!). i even said to beverly, sooo all this worry at home wasn't necessary! she said, exactly and that she wished she could relay that to all the brides. lol she's great to deal with via phone, email, in person. since Dec though (March wedding) it would take her weeks to reply. so i just started calling with my list of Qs and her assistant DeshonJay would help me. I'm sure you won't have any probs getting the date you want. i think there were a total of 3 or 4 weddings the whole week we were there, which is soooo nice cause you feel extra special Quote: Originally Posted by mekanabr Hi ladies! I just received wedding package info from Beverly today, YAY! It's very exciting finally getting something about the wedding!!! Thought I'd share the info with all of you, in case you are interested! My tip...go for the cheapest one. (unless you have a big group, then do the math and see what works out best) i almost chose Blissful because of all the options, but once you really look at it, you don't need most of that stuff anyway! I still haven't even seen the pics that were included in my package! not impressed. Quote: Originally Posted by christinak82 hi mekanabr, its so stupid that they have that restriction for downloading attachments... I need 150 posts to do that... crazy... anyway... it should be the same document we got from beverly... I just wanted to compare it, in case they updated something... oh well... I guess, I need to spam some threads here to reach the posting amount... :-) I felt the same way! so what i did (u can also pay $20 or something to get your 15) is i just spent a couple days at work commenting on all the newbies and then i got bored of that and so i just started opening up random threads and commenting on them. I always hated why people would post annoying commetns like "That is a good question, i want to know that answer too" instead of constructive feedback...then i learned why all these stupid posts were everywhere. BUT...in my quest to reach my 150 and opening random threads, i DID learn so much and got so many ideas...it helped me a lot, even though it was so annoying to get to 150. LOL GOOD LUCK GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our wedding was at 3:30...we didn't want to much time between ceremony and dinner at 630...i now wish we had our ceremony at 2. we didn't ahve much time for photos after the ceremony becuase you have the champagne toast and everyone wants to talk to you. our guests all just hung out at the terrace bar and mingled and enjoyed themselves. some went back to their room to freshen up, etc. also at 330 was when the clouds would usually come out and the wind would blow. annoying with the vail. i'd say 2ish would be the best time IMO!

Quote: Originally Posted by Ana I'm a big believer in loving the ring for what it means. Marriage and engagement is about the relationship, not the ring, and the ring he gave you is the ring that he picked. I wouldn't upgrade, but that's just my opinion. Quote: Originally Posted by *Nadine* I agree with Ana. I would be happy with what I was given and what my fiance picked out for me. It definitely would be really disrespectful and dishonest to go and have it fixed beind your FI's back. If you REALLY REALY REALLY are unhappy with it, then tell him and figure it out together. I agree with Ana and Nadine...especially about you changing it behind his back. My diamond is only just over half a K and of course i would have liked bigger before seeing my ring, but he chose it because he loved it and knew i would love it, which i absolutely do! I think he would be really hurt if you told him you weren't unhappy with it. especially since he must have spent a ton of money on it already. i know i would if the roles were reversed. IMO.

welcome home "Mrs Baj"!!! hehehe

Quote: Originally Posted by mekanabr Thanks so much for all the info, I think that's the best, most detailed answer I've ever gotten on here! You're the best! Now...to convince the FI and rents! hehehe thanks! sure helps when someone is willing to give alllll the info! Quote: Originally Posted by mekanabr Hey ladies! I just emailed Beverly for info, so excited to hear back from her! Kerrij or anyone else who might know - I read that they only serve alcohol until 11pm...then you have to go to the disco at Pueblo Principe, but it says they only serve soda. Do you have to pay extra after 11 to get a drink? And do the rest of the bars really close at 11? Knowing my friends they will be out until the early hrs of the morning and that really stinks if you have to pay for drinks after a certain time! Hopefully I am completely misreading this! Thanks! Hope everyone had a nice Easter holiday! I don't know where you would have read that but it's not true yay! the disco has free booze all night. the Sports bar and karaoke bar also have free booze. not sure what time they are open until, but late anyway! pretty much none of us spent any time in the disco...its pretty crappy. it's reallllly dark and dingy and the music isn't very good. it just feels like black warehouse. we were usually at the sports bar or karaoke, which are all like 40ft from eachother. tons of fun! the only thing we paid for on the resort was the Jamaica Patties which are sooo good! only $2 in one of the stores at Pueblo Principe. everything else is free for food and booze

Yay! thanks guys!! it's verrrrry exciting, but scary at the same time! things are good still...weird that even though we concieved just a few weeks ago that i'm already considered almost 6 weeks preggers! Good luck to all you baby makers out there...i hope it's not a long wait for anyone

Quote: Originally Posted by StephAli Hey Kerrij, CONGRATS!!!! I love the picture of you are your husband!! I was just wondering if you could tell me how far the bar is from the beach gazebo?? Thanks Steph!! the bar is FAR! DEF need to hire the bartender...or something i didn't think of...buy some bottles of booze and see if you can get some jugs of juice or pop...everyone LOOOVED the dance at the gazebo. I originally thought the dance would be on the sand and was so excited to dance barefoot, but the sand around the gazebo is the rocky manmade stuff you'll hear about on Trip Advisor.. but the dance in the gazebo was the PERFECT spot..and absolutely perfect for throwing the bouqet cause you are up slightly higher and perfect for the garter, cause then everyone can see...notice my picture Quote: Originally Posted by christinak82 Hi Kerrij, does that separate room also hold more than 50 people? We expect about 60-70 people. Did you have to pay those $2500 for that room? Nope, didn't pay for that $2500 room! i don't even know where that would be. But we had 50, and there was still room to put at least one more table in there, so prob another 20 could easily fit in there and not be over crowded! Quote: Originally Posted by mekanabr Hi Girls, just got done reading every single post on here! I had been considering Iberostar Rose Hall Suites, but I think its more than I want to ask my guests to pay. I also wasn't thrilled with any of their ceremony/reception sites. But I read about renting out the gazebo on the beach and that is exactly what I want!!! Definitately a game changer for me Can't wait to read more reviews from you lovely ladies, thanks for sharing all of your info!! Does anyone have any info about menus? What all is included in the free wedding package (does that package have another name on their site?) I can't find any info on it. How's the beach at the resort? Does anyone know if you can go snorkeling? Ok enough questions for now. Kerri...can't wait to see pics from your wedding!!!!! It sounds fantastic and your review is making it even harder for me to pick a resort! haha. I HIGHLY recommend GBP!! I've been to 2 other beach weddings, and saw about 2 a day on on honeymoon in Negril, and absolutely no where compares to the setting and privacy that the gazebo has at GBP. you are completely alone with your guests. no half naked or topless people sitting near you on your wedding day. it was magical! Menus - excellent choices! we were given 3 choices, and it was 3 courses each (maybe 4, i forget) they were all great choices, and if you have people with allergies you just tell Beverly the WC and she'll let the chefs know! she actually let me pick my own meal cause she liked me so much! hahah Free Wedding Package - apparently its not available anymore unless you booked your wedding prior to Nov (i think that's the month they quit the free) Beach - the bay directly in front of the resort it quite, nice to swim and snorkle but the sand is rockier. the bay off to the side (which is still the hotels property, and a private beach which is a huge bonus) is amazing! the very first part of the beach by the snack shack is a little harder but still sandy, and the farther down the beach the more lush the sand gets! we spent most of our days down the beach by the beach bar! Snorkling - at the resort, yes. i didn't have time to do it. but i'm told there is decent snorkling off the beach. but like anywhere to get the goooood stuff, you need a boat! The resort itself was incredible! you will read lots of negative reviews on TA which scared me, but since i knew 4 other couples to have stayed there with all great things to say, i just ignored the bad reviews. it's big, but not massive. there are so many places to eat. lots of places to drink. if you have a fun crowd you will have an absolute blast like we did! 50 people and every single person said it was the BEST trip they've ever been on and the best wedding they've been to, and definitely would go back to that resort. Huge bonus about jamaica, is you can drink their water!!! yay!! Hope I covered as many Qs as i could! good luck Brides! Kerrij (i should change that to kerrim! lol)

We got married at GBP and a work friend got married at Beaches or Breezes and both of us got a certified copy of our marriage certificate before we left the resort! both of us have used our marriage certificates for changing our names and never once had an issue. so talk to your WC about getting your copy right from her.

Thank you ladies for all of your inspiring scripts!! Just letting you know that I'm home from my wedding and we had 50 guests and there was honestly not a dry eye in the house! everyone thought the ceremony was so beautiful! so i have all of you to thank for helping me pull together our ceremony script...i still read it and cry now that i know we have said all of those words!

Quote: Originally Posted by carolina24 that's what we're hoping. i went off the pill awhile ago, but we've been careful. went to the gyn last week to get a pre-baby check up so hopefully we come back with a little souvenir Love that you call it a Souvenir! hehehe So we've been home for one week today and guess what we found out last night!!! I'm pregnant!! WTF!! hahahah how did that happen sooooo fast! I'm getting it all confirmed by the doc this afternoon, but i'm having a hard time keeping it a secret and the pee stick is 99% accurate and i'm 4 days late! I never would have dreamed it actually would have happened on our honeymoon because i've been on the pill for 13 years and only off for 3 months. fingers crossed this baby "sticks" and I'll be a mom by xmas! Quote: Originally Posted by Jenamie My mom is a labor nurse but in a small town and her average age is 15-21... But yeah I'm trying to wait 15-21!! oooh my dear!!

Moody! my fello March Jamaica B2B!! congrats! i love that you posted from your resort! i'm so happy to hear your wedding went off without a hitch and wow what amzazing deals you got!! my only regret was not bringing an ipod docking station for after the DJ was done so we could carry on with our own party which was so fun! CONGRATS Mrs!!

Quote: Originally Posted by ErinB Couples does place signs up in the vicinity of the wedding that say "wedding in progress" or something on each side of the altar. They also station a guard to keep people out of the area. The resort was completely booked while we were there and you cannot see a soul other than us in any of our pictures. There were people on the beach but not close to us. If I can help in any way or answer any questions, feel free to PM me! Oh well that is good!! maybe there are 2 locations at CSA. we saw about 2 weddings/day on the beach from our balcony and yes there were signs, but there were people 10ft from the wedding on their beach chairs. Def a beautiful resort to consider!

We just got back from our honeymoon at Couples Swept Away...what a beauuuutiful resort! the only thing i didn't like about it, was how public the wedding ceremonies were. we had got married the week prior at GBP in Runaway bay where our gazebo ceremony is soooo completely private...but at CSA there are people in bathing suits and even topless sitting right there staring at you. maybe somepeople don't mind the public affair, but i knew i would hate that which is why we chose GBP because of the private marriage site. BUT CSA is amazing and if you are going there, you'll LOVE IT!! ps...it's pretty windy in jamaica ALL the time! so make sure you pin your bangs down and be prepared for your veil to blow in the wind (which looks so pretty in pics!) I didn't have my bangs pinned down and drove me nuts in my ceremony Happy Planning!!!

wow so nice yours includes tax! my resort didn't and their tax is so high, like 16.5%! my taxes were $500, sure a dent in the budget i didn't plan for

Echo - I just assumed...I didn't want to change my birth certificate. I called to see if we had to change our SIN and they said yes we have to even if it's assumed. Hope this helps! please add on if you think of more places where it should be changed

Thanks guys!! I'm so glad it will be helpful to some people! Happy weddings!!

Hi calgary brides! I'm so out of the loops since i've been away from my computer for the wedding and honeymoon for almost 3 weeks! Just letting you know that i just posted a name change thread for you calgary girls with a big list of all the places I've changed my name at and their phone numbers and some locations and what you need at each place. Check it out after your big day!!! Congrats to all you girls! you will have the time of your life! i know i sure did!!

Hi hope I'm posting this in the right spot! We'll I've been home for 4 days from my wedding and I have pretty much everything changed over to my new name! Just a few in person ones left to do like passport and SIN. I saved my list and even have most of the numbers and locations so I thought I'd share them with you Calgary girls, and I know there are a lot of you on here! Southern AB can prob use this too. Hope it helps! I'm sure there are little ones here and there yet to change, but I think these are the big ones! Registry – Dr. License and vehicle registration, in person Employer/Payroll/Benefits, one email J Utilities, Enmax 310-2010, Direct energy 866-420-3174, EPCOR 310-4300 Cable/internet/house phone, Shaw 716-6000 Cell phone TIPP, call 311 they do it right there on the phone. They’ll give you your legal description of your property for Land titles! Land titles, need legal description and marriage certificate, $17 to change. In person, 710-4 Ave SW, 8:15am-4pm weekdays. Banks, must be done in person at any branch, with marriage certificate. Mortgage, if diff than bank, in person, need mortgage number (unless you’re first line 1-800-970-0700) Condo fees Passport, in person, and the temp drivers license is supposed to be good. AHC, 1-780-427-1432, they’ll mail you a form along with your new AHC card and you send it back with your hubby’s AHC # to join your accounts in the system unless he’s in the military! Insurance Company AirMiles, 1-888-247-6453 Credit cards, if diff than bank Order new cheques, at bank or online SIN, must be changed, number stays the same. In person, Harry Hayes or any service centre, 270-220-4 Ave SE, 8:30am-4:30pm weekdays. Need birth and marriage certificates, no charge. Everywhere I’ve been I need a copy of my marriage certificate so keep it in your purse! Temp Dr Lic is handy but Banks need photo ID, I have no id so passport works. love this one!

I don't mind the questions at all! fire away! the hotels beach party is tuesday nights. but its not on the beach lol. it's at the snack shack, and was soooo cool! so it's great if you don't have your own dance to just go to that. at dolce vita they have a side room that is round and held 50 of us well, and i'm sure smaller groups would be just fine too! the doorway was the only view of the rest of the restaurant, but was also across the lobby of the restaraunt. was perfect! i didn't notice decor at the rest. but def didn't need any. i didn't have any special decor anywhere and people told me it was the most beautiful wedding they've ever been to. so i wouldn't worry about taking stuff with you or buying/renting much. not even flowers. my bouquet was GORGEOUS!!! i LOVED it! you can choose your colors and your bouquet and anything you want with Beverly. she has a binder of pics of stuff and you just say, i want that! and she'll make it happen. the chair covers were included which is nice too!

Love! I'm back too!!! mine was sooo amazingly perfect too! yayayay!! Moody must be there now! sooo exciting!!

I'm baaaack!!! OMG girls, if you even second guess the GBP even once, DON"T!! it was the BEST resort to get married at. the gazebo is sooooo private and sooo beautiful. and you feel special because there aren't 2-3 weddings a day there. i think there were only 2 other weddings our entire week...and the 2 other girls were both named Kerri too! funny! we felt special and everyone on the resort knew our group...which wasn't hard as there were 50 of us who all became the bestest of friends and made so many friends aroudn the resort. the hotel was soooo great, the food was awesome, service...umm, pretty much no one had complaints, that i heard anyway, but i thought felt the nice ones were super, and the not so nice ones were crap and felt like you were annoying them...it was one way or the other, but i also found that everywhere in jamaica, even at our second resort, so i wouldn't take that to heart for this resort. Beverly is FANTASTIC!!! seriously, don't worry about a thing until you get there. she'll go over everything with you and plan the whole wedding in about 15 mins...she'll even do a rehearsal with you, which i HIGHLY recommend. i thought we didn't need to bother and just a waste of time, but was soooo gald we did it. everything was amazing and every single person cried at one point of the night. I would write your own script too, i hated what the Rev had so we rewrote ours and it was soooo special. the spa...gail, is a total cow! she was rude to everyone, and told the hair stylist to be there by 9am, nd their drive was 1 1/2 hrs to work, and our appt was at 10:30 and my MIL got in trouble for being late! i had confirmed the appt time the day prior even for 10:30. the stylists were OK. i hated my hair but didn't care enough to fix it, my moms hair was AWFUL!! i even said, nooo that isn't finished! she had to go back and redo her hair. the stylists don't really listen to what you say, they know best! or so they think. i asked not to have a huge mass of hairspray in my hair when done, becuase my BM before me did and it looked sick! (i also saw the bride before me and i hated her hair too!) she said no you need it, and i said no i want it to look natural not all glued together, and she wouldn't listen and glued my hair together. my MOH was the only one with good hair. also i gave her hair inspiration pics, and it didn't look like what i wanted i had them do my make up and it was nice, but the mascara was terrible and she refused to put on false eyelashes. our wedding time was at 3:30 and it was soooo rushed with pics between the ceremony and dinner at 6:30...i'd say 2pm would be ideal! Hihgly recommend the steel drum band...$400 for 4 of them and they have a sound system so you can hear it well...amazing touch! we also hired the DJ and bar for the dance, but we got jipped because we had it the night of the beach party and the DJ does it, so he had to leave at 10:30 instead of 11pm. but it was soooooo fun! the gazebo dance floor was backed the entire time! and a great spot for garter and bouquet toss! the hotel photographer....do not use!!! he was there, somewhere. my hubby saw him but i didn't even once! we got 10 free photos which i still haven't seen or had contact from him. but apparently his camera was not a fancy one like a photographer should have. just like a Canon SLR or something. i'd def hire outside the resort! the dinner we had at Dolce Vita by the beach, it was PERFECT! a room all to ourselves, great for speeches and toasts. loved it! Hmmm, not sure what else there is to cover! any questions, just let me know!!

I hear ya Jess...i pulled so many bits and pieces for this thread for our script...i think this suits us so well now! We aren't super religious and the script the minister has says god about 18 times and i don't even understand half of it! lol Ok girls...here is mine that we'll be using in 6 more sleeps!! (may still tweak it here and there) We also decided to have both of our parents "give us away" hehehe his mom doesn't have any daughters so she will love this! OPENING We have come together today on this beautiful island of Jamaica to celebrate the love and marriage of Kerri and Blair. The fact that so many people have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament in itself to the greatness of this relationship and the love these two share. Kerri and Blair would like to send a special and respectful acknowledgement to those friends and family members who were unable to travel here today, and to those who have passed on but whose spirit remains alive and strong in all our hearts. All of you have given them much happiness, love, warmth, and guidance through the various stages of their lives, and for this, they thank you. They would also like to send an extra thanks to their parents for the wonderful lives they have given them, for the hard work and guidance they have provided, for their everlasting love, support, and encouragement. It is from them that they have learned the true meaning of love, friendship, and family. GIVING OF THE BRIDE/GROOM If I could please have the parents of Kerri and Blair stand. Being assured of your love as life long companions, and that you have your families blessings, I now ask, Glenda and Merlin, do you support this unity between Kerri and Blair and welcome Blair into your family? Kerri’s parents, WE DO Bill, Linda, and Len do you support this unity between Blair and Kerri and welcome Kerri into your family? Blair’s parents, WE DO Thank you. Today Kerri and Blair, you are choosing to walk through life together hand in hand in marriage. The choice was not made by any one moment in time, but by being together over the years you grew to realize that you belonged together and you thrive upon each other’s presence, loyalty, wisdom, friendship, and love. Marriage has been described as living in love with your best friend; an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the mutual commitment of two people sincerely in love who share the same dreams about life, their futures, and their desire of family. The vow of marriage is a pledge of their everlasting love, uniting them in holy matrimony, whereby, they commit to share all life has to offer. A strong marriage is dependent upon many factors, beyond the love and respect you share for one another; there must be strong sense of commitment and loyalty that bonds you and, above all, a true friendship and willingness to communicate with one another. Along with a genuine like for each other, the willingness to accept and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses will create the foundation for a successful marriage. It is the greatest and most challenging commitment you will go through as a couple. Trust in each other to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. DECLARATION OF CONSENT Please face each other and join hands. Blair, do you come here today freely to take Kerri as your wife, to love her in good times and in bad, when life is easy and when it is a challenge, when love is simple and when it is an effort. Do you promise to encourage her and inspire her through life, to laugh with her in times of joy and comfort her in times of sorrow and struggle. Do you promise to cherish her, and to always hold her in your highest regard. Do you give these things to her today and all the days of your lives? Blair says I DO. Kerri, do you come here today freely to take Blair as your husband, to love him in good times and in bad, when life is easy and when it is a challenge, when love is simple and when it is an effort. Do you promise to encourage him and inspire him through life, to laugh with him in times of joy and comfort him in times of sorrow and struggle. Do you promise to cherish him, and to always hold him in your highest regard. Do you give these things to him today and all the days of your lives? Kerri says I DO. THE RINGS The rings please… Kerri and Blair, your rings are intimately associated with your intent to honor and treasure the vows you have made today. By exchanging rings, you resolve to live your vows and not to let them drift in shallow promises. Believe and trust that the words you have spoken have the capacity to create the marriage, family, and life of your dreams, and that the rings you exchange will have the power to return you to your vows. Blair, as you place this ring on Kerri’s finger please repeat after me… Kerri, I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage, and a lasting reminder, of the vows made between us today. It is a reminder that I will love you, honor you, and cherish you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways, I am forever yours. Kerri as you place this ring on Blair’s finger, please repeat after me… Blair, I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage, and a lasting reminder, of the vows made between us today. It is a reminder that I will love you, honor you, and cherish you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways, I am forever yours. CLOSINGS Kerri and Blair remember to treat both yourself and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Take pride in your future together and the family that you will create. With friends and family, along with the sun, the sand, and the ocean, I have the pleasure of announcing you as husband and wife. Blair, you may now kiss your Bride!